Ranma x Negima : Ranma's White Wings
by Dreamingfox
Summary: Ranma finds certain fight footage on the internet and is lead to Mahora. Can he really prove that the footage was real? Ranma 1/2 x Negima crossover. Reposting earlier chapters due to FFnet's format change. Please read and review.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer -

I obviously don't own Ranma 1/2 or Negima, if I did I wouldn't be here writing fan fiction. This is the only disclaimer I'll put up.

This is obviously a Ranma 1/2 x Negima crossover, though Ranma is the primary character.

* * *

A soft summer breeze ruffled the hair of the raven haired teen as he gazed at the campus below him. Glancing at the picture in his hand he knew he was definitely in the right place. Though the campus below lacked the parade, balloons, and festival atmosphere of the one in the picture, it wasn't hard to place the distinctive architecture of the buildings below him, not to mention the huge tree.

When he'd first seen the pictures, and later the movies on the internet, he'd made the common mistake of thinking that it was just a simple movie. It wasn't the spectacular visuals that had impressed him, it was the fighting that had been exhibited by several of the fighters. The more he watched the short clips of the fights the more he was convinced that the visuals hadn't been special effects that had been added. Though he wasn't anything close to a computer otaku or an internet freak like some of the freshmen, he knew quality fighting when he saw it. Having mastered many different styles and fought against numerous others, it was easy for him to dismiss the claims that the whole thing had been just a movie or game. That and the fact that he had himself fought gods and was himself a victim of a curse proved that magic existed. Having exhausted his leads in Nerima and with the old hag, Ranma figured that he needed to do something outside of the norm.

Though he was impressed with the spectacular fighting, the realization that magic existed and could possibly cure him of the curse was what really drew him to Mahora. Taking a break from the usual ritual of fighting off his rivals for his numerous fiancées, it was amazingly easy for him to get away from Nerima for summer break, especially after the whole wedding fiasco. With school out for the summer everyone had a chance to get away.

But school being out for the summer was a double edged sword too as his main lead happened to be one of the teachers. Said teacher happened to be Negi Springfield; the young fighter/mage who had nearly won the Mahora K-O Tournament and who had been the hero of the festival. Ranma only hoped that the young teacher was still on campus.

Hopping over the railing, he ignored the gasps from the nearly all female patrons at the café as they rushed to the railing, watching as he landed gracefully before bounding over several astonished onlookers as he made his way to the plaza. Across the way he caught sight of someone that he recognized from footage of the tournament – Kaede, the ninja girl who had lost to the eventual winner of the tournament. She'd also been by Negi's side during the final battle of the festival.

* * *

Despite the varying distance that the older boy had been keeping from her, Kaede knew that she was being followed. Casually sneaking glances around at his reflection in various shop windows she could see that he was wearing a red Chinese style shirt and loose karate pants he appeared to have the forced grace of a trained fighter.

Unsure of how to lose her pursuer without attracting any more attention to herself Kaede smiled as she spotted Mana in front of the local movie theater trying to purchase a student ticket to the movie. Despite the dark skinned girl's ID the attendant appeared to be refusing to sell a student ticket to the gunslinger. Seeing her rival's situation Kaede decided to take advantage of the situation.

"Hahaha, looking as old as you do sure can be a drawback," she teased.

"What a coincidence," the mature looking Mana replied as she turned her back to the ticket booth and pulled a gun on her rival. "What did you just say?" she added in a hushed tone. "At this range, even rubber bullets hurt a lot."

"It's only 300 yen, don't be so cheap," Kaede replied as she brushed off the gun. "You see the black haired boy in the red Chinese shirt by the fountain?" Mana glanced at the ticket seller's window to catch the reflection Kaede's pursuer. "I'll treat you next time if you take care of him discreetly. I want him alive to see why he's following me."

"That's more than just a movie," the darker skinned girl replied as she smiled at the twins who managed to get away with elementary school rates. "That's a week's worth of lunch at least."

"Okay, okay," Kaede replied as she left the movie theater. "I'll lead him towards Eva's since not many people head out that way."

* * *

Following the ninja girl away from the plaza Ranma had that familiar feeling in the pit of his stomach, the feeling that he was getting set up. Unfortunately for him he tended to interpret that feeling as being hungry, or as being poisoned by Akane's cooking. Having locked onto the ninja girl's distinctive aura Ranma felt that he could easily track her once she left the heavily populated plaza. Stopping at a Chinese stand he grabbed some pork buns. Reflexively he looked around to make sure that his pops wasn't around to try and steal his food from him before he casually (for him) began to enjoy his snack. Picking up on the faint but distinct aura emitted by the ninja Ranma set off after her again.

Making his way out of the plaza and then the village Ranma found himself making his way through a lightly wooded area. Finishing his fifth pork bun Ranma casually noted that the woods were getting thicker the further he followed the elusive ninja girl. It was his protectiveness for his food that cued him off to the trap. Mana, not wanting to needlessly hurt him, had aimed at his bag of food. Instinctively Ranma pulled his bag of food out of harm's way before catching sight of the rubber bullet that would have knocked the remaining pork buns out of his hand. Protecting his food, Ranma scanned the area for his attacker. Sensing something from behind, he jumped aside, narrowly avoiding a barrage of kunai.

For Ranma it was one thing to deal with projectile weapons like kunai, especially after all the fights he'd had with Mouse, but dealing with a shooter and guns was a completely new experience. Jumping into a tree he waited for the next wave of attacks so that he could better place where they were coming from. Dodging the second shot he jumped behind back to the ground. Deciding against using the Saotome Ultimate Secret Technique, Ranma dashed from tree to tree as he moved towards the general direction that he thought Kaede was while avoiding the occasional shots from the mysterious shooter. Having watched the videos of Kaede's fights online, he was relatively sure that he could handle her in a straight fight, even if there was a shooter aiding her from a distance. Besides, he reasoned, if they were working together then the shooter wouldn't risk hitting Kaede if Ranma got in close to engage her in hand to hand combat.

Patience was a virtue for the pigtailed fighter as he waited for the right opportunity. But first he needed to see if she really was as good as she appeared in the viral videos on the net.

The barrage of kunai was sub-par when compared to what Mousse was capable of; still, it presented him with an opportunity. Grabbing the lead kunai, he used it to deflect the majority of the barrage while dodging the rest as he closed in on the ninja girl. Tossing the kunai aside, he closed with Kaede. Parrying and dodging, he tried to analyze her style, skill, and speed. The ninja girl was fast, though not nearly in his league. Her attacks were very straight-forward and direct, though with much more power than Sasuke, the Kuno's ninja servant, but her use of kunai and other projectile weapons also reminded him of Mouse's projectile attacks only in smaller but more precise barrages. Closing in to eliminate her advantage with the weapons, Ranma waited for an opening as he defended himself from her strikes.

Even though he was occupied with the kunoichi, he could feel the sharpshooter's eyes on him as she observed their fight. The pig-tailed boy closed with Kaede but had yet to go on the offensive; still the ninja girl was slowly being forced back.

Out of the corner of his eyes he saw the sharpshooter drawing her hand guns, searching for an opening or opportunity to take a shot at the unknown fighter as she approached the pair. Ranma could tell that she was just itching to join the fray against the elusive boy, Mana and Kaede managed to press him back, though neither could land a strike on him. They were fast, but he was just fast enough to avoid their attacks.

As the onslaught became more relentless and aggressive Ranma found it harder and harder to take advantage of the holes in their defenses. When one of them left herself open the other kept him from exploiting it. For Ranma it wasn't like a typical fight with any of the Nerima Wrecking Crew. While Ryoga, Mouse, and Kuno were exceptional fighters and could press him when working together, they didn't cover for each other like these two girls were doing. Not to mention that he didn't know them well enough to really taunt them into slipping up either.

Taking a chance he waited for an opportunity to turn the fight. Narrowly avoiding Kaede's attack on his shoulder he twisted his body. Extracting the kunai he'd palmed before, he swiftly threw it at the darker skinned girl, forcing her to decide between taking the hit or voluntarily disarming herself so that she could extract her hand in time to avoid the weapon. The moment of indecision nearly cost her as she dropped the gun but was grazed by the blade. Lashing out, he disarmed her with a quick chop to her other wrist before he clamped onto said wrist. With a swift twist he slipped behind her before either girl could react.

"I'm not looking for a fight," he declared as he let go of Tatsumiya's wrist and took a step back. "But if you want one I'm up for it."

Kaede hesitated, unsure what to make of the skilled fighter before her. He was fast, very fast. Though he stood in a guarded stance, it was clear to her that he was relaxed and had yet to be seriously pressed. Both she and Mana were breathing heavier than normal while he appeared to hardly have broken a sweat.

Mana took the opportunity to pick up her guns and with a sideways glance at Kaede she slipped them back into their holsters. That seemed to settle things.

"Why were you following me?"

"Well, I recognized you from the videos of you fighting during the tournament. I wanted to see if you really were as skilled as you appeared online, that way I could see if the stuff online was real or not."

"And?"

"They definitely weren't faked, but I was hoping to face your shadow clone technique," he answered as he put his hands behind his head. "I know that magic exists, but never saw anything like the videos online. How do you make clones of yourself like that?"

* * *

The saying "don't judge a book by its cover" was never as applicable as it was now, Eva thought to herself with a slight chuckle. She'd seen and experienced a wide spectrum of things in the magical world, but the youth before her was truly unusual. The hint of magic tainted his aura, and his ki reserves were remarkable. But it was his skill as a fighter that really made him stand out. Even though Mana and Kaede had fought him to a standstill, it was clear to the vampire that the young boy before her could have taken both of them had he been truly serious. Unlike the her classmates who moved with a forced grace that hid the normally tell tale signs of exceptionally skilled fighters, the cursed boy moved with a fluid and natural grace that spoke of a highly trained but also possessing great natural ability.

Though she was initially irritated at having her meeting with Negi and the others interrupted, the chance to actually see someone with a Jusenkyo curse and the possibility of using such a powerful ally was truly promising.

"Triggered curses aren't that unusual – yours is just an unusual trigger." Sipping at her tea Eva contemplated how best to use the boy. "Most people tended to think full moon or something like that for a triggered curse, not hot/cold water."

Eva waited as to see if anyone else had something else to add.

"So, thus far even the Chinese Amazons haven't been able to cure you?" the ten year old magi named Negi Springfield asked.

Shaking his head Ranma tried to digest the fact that he was getting advice from someone much younger than him. It was one thing for him to ask the vampire because despite the fact that she looked to be several years younger than him she was actually much older then she appeared. But with Negi, the little 10 year old boy who also happened to be the old vampire's apprentice and homeroom teacher, it was just weird that someone so young was also so mature and composed.

"Or they don't want to," Kaede added. "If they had it they probably don't want you to have it until you're committed to them."

"There is no cure," Eva stated as she stood up dramatically. "At least, they don't have one. From what you've told me the little magic they have are primarily based on the use of their artifacts. Simply using artifacts to cure the curse won't work, and mixing Jusenkyo curses won't work either. Look at the Taro boy – he's a mix of several curses, not one set creature/body. Though the Musk clan had a way to lock you in your cursed form, it's not a cure, but a way to lock the trigger."

Ranma sighed. It was slightly frustrated at having others voice what he already knew. "But you're like real magic users, not just using artifacts. Can't you use magic to like cure me?"

"It's not that simple boy," the ten year old blond girl replied. "Magic can't fix things that easily, especially things that were caused by magic."

"Um, what she means to say is that magic isn't a cure all," Negi interjected as he tried to cut the tension. Unlike the boy, the diminutive vampire was less polite and very blunt. "Even simple things like filling a cup with water takes some skill and training, otherwise you'll fill the cup with something else or can't stop the water from filling up the house and more."

"And when dealing with magic you have to find the right kind of magic to counteract it," Chachamaru added. "The wrong mix or combination of magic can make things worse."

"There might be a cure," Eva stated firmly, "but we don't know of one."

Ranma sat down, slightly dejected. His hopes of an instant and immediate cure were shot, but they had not ruled out the possibility of finding a cure for the curse.

"We'll have to research it of course, and it won't be quick or cheap," Eva finished.

"What do you want from me?" Ranma asked as he eyed the vampire.

"My apprentice wants to go to on a journey over the summer and I want you to accompany him."

"What?" Asuna shouted. "But we've got the Negima Club!"

"True, but there's nothing wrong with stacking the deck in our favor," Eva countered. "He's already fought Mana and Kaede to a draw, and he wasn't even going all out. Ranma could very well be stronger than any one of you, even Negi. Besides, while you're all gone I'll have time to research his curse."

"No way!" the strawberry blond interjected. "We can do this without him!"

"As the Honorary Advisor to the club, I think that it's my call to make, especially since this club's primary goal is protecting the boy," the quick witted vampire countered.

"But I think Asuna's come very far in her training," Nodaka squeaked. The mousy girl had yet to speak the entire time while each of the other girls present had at least asked Ranma some questions as he had explained his situation.

"Yeah!" the other girls shouted in unified show of support for the red-head.

"If you really want to see how good he is and how good you are, then why don't we have a match?" Eva posed.

X

Lebenschilt Castle, the vampire's secret castle, was impressive indeed. Contained within a magic jar, it was linked to several training grounds through the use of magical jump gates. Within the castle time supposedly flowed differently, one day inside the castle and the grounds was equivalent to an hour outside. From the inside the castle and the grounds appeared to be vast and limitless, so different from what Ranma had expected when he first glanced upon the encased castle before they had all entered the castle.

"This is the result of years of magical training and study," Eva stated as she lead the group through the castle. "Years of hard work and dedication."

Ranma nodded. Magic was indeed amazing and the feats that were accomplished were truly incredible, and if magic could create this wondrous castle, it could also cure him. Invigorated by what he saw, he nearly forgot the reason why he was brought to the castle.

"From what you've told us you're an accomplished fighter," the tiny vampire stated as she turned to face the group. "I don't doubt that you are given that you held your own against Kaede and Mana. But someone apparently doubts your skills, just as I doubt her ability to protect my apprentice." Asuna huffed at her classmate's slight. "And to prove yourself to me and to each other, I propose a fight -Victory when the other can no longer fight or concedes defeat."

Ranma shook his head. He hated fighting against brawlers like Asuna. From what he'd seen of her fight Asuna had little technique, style, or skill. Though she was capable of good, short bursts of offense she also left herself open to attack against a faster opponent. Ranma seriously doubted that the girl could keep up with his speed in his girl form.

"Afraid you'll lose to a girl?" Asuna taunted, taking his uncertainty as a sign of potential weakness.

Walking over to a table Ranma grabbed a pitcher of water and dumped it over his head, triggering his curse and turning into a girl. The others gasped at the sudden change, though he had told them about his curse, they were still shocked to see it happen. Gone was the sturdily built raven haired boy, suddenly replaced with a busty young redheaded girl. Standing nearly a full head shorter and with considerably less mass, Ranma understood that he sacrificed power and size for speed and agility.

Slightly smaller and shorter than the tomboyish Asuna, Ranma appeared to be at a disadvantage. Shaking the extra water off he walked over to face his opponent.

Eva smirked at him while Asuna held a determined look on her face. "Use any techniques you like, we've a healer ready if anything happens. I've set up wards to keep you two from wrecking the place, so don't hold back."

With a slight bow, the two red heads eyed each other as they prepared to fight.

Summoning her harisen, Asuna smiled. '_He doesn't use magic, not that it would work on me, anyways! After all the training that Eva's put me through there's no way that this boy can beat me!'_

"Begin!"

Charging in Asuna hoped to end the fight quickly. Suddenly she was airborne as her smaller opponent had countered her charge with a swift kick that had connected with her chin. As she looked up at the near limitless sky above the pain from the kick finally registered.

Negi was surprised. While he didn't doubt that Ranma could have leveled a mountain with his special techniques, it was one thing to see the mysterious fighter easily handling one of 3-A's best fighters. Though she lacked the extensive training and arsenal that Mana, Kaede, and Setsuna possessed, Asuna had been quickly catching up with them, even being able to fight them on equal footing in their recent sparring and training matches. But after just a few exchanges it was clear that she was out of her league.

"He's definitely out of your league," Eva stated to Negi as she watched the fight. "And that's without any magic enhancing his speed or strength. I never would have thought that someone could get to that level without magic or kanka training."

Watching the fight, Kaede glanced at Mana. Exchanging a brief nod of acknowledgement, they both marveled at the skill of the shorter red-head. It was clear that in their fight with them he had been holding back. Even now, he was holding back. Using just basic speed to avoid the taller girl's attacks, he was quickly proving himself the better of the two fighters. His keen fighter's eye combined with his quick reflexes made it easy for him to evade Asuna's attacks while slipping under and through her guard as he countered her every attack. Moving fluidly and without any extra or unnecessary movement, he had sent Asuna flying or skidding back after each exchange.

'_She'd give Ryoga a run for his money_,' Ranma thought as his fist connected with Asuna's stomach, sending her flying back once again. '_But he's probably finishing her with one blow_,' he added as he disparaged the difference in their physical strength, even though he was in his female form.

"Asuna-san!" the other girls cried out, trying to voice their encouragement.

Asuna struggled to get back to her feet. '_Damn, I can't believe that he's pushing me this much. Even Setsuna doesn't hit this hard. I can usually go toe to toe with her. I won't lose to him! I can't fail Negi!'_

Watching as her harisen changed into a giant sword as the girl's kanka radiated around her, Ranma knew that the fight had taken a drastic change. Having watched her fight with Setsuna, he wasn't surprised at the turn of events. Calming himself, Ranma braced himself for her next attack. In a flash she was upon him, ready to cut him down. Sidestepping her charge, he kicked her in the back of the head, throwing her off balance and sending her into the stone barrier.

Again the taller red headed girl charged him. Rolling under her attack he kicked her solidly in the stomach before connecting with a series of bicycle kicks to her chin as he pushed himself off of the ground with his arms. Knocking her back with the last strike, he gave himself enough time to recharge himself for the next barrage. Though he was sure he could take one of her hits, he preferred not to. She was nearly as powerful at Ryoga, but not as fast. Like the eternally lost boy, Asuna was very straightforward and left plenty of openings when she attacked. But even with that weakness Ranma knew that he only had a few barrages left.

Gathering herself as she readied for another attack Asuna knew that she needed a new plan of attack if she wanted to beat the smaller girl form Ranma. It was clear that her opponent was faster and much more skilled than she was, but for her to admit that Ranma was better than she was would be too much.

Cautiously closing with Ranma, Asuna stabbed at her opponent with her sword. Using her longer striking range to her advantage she slowly forced Ranma back. Trading speed for power she also benefited from not leaving herself as open to counter attacks from her swifter opponent.

"Not bad," Ranma stated as he forced Asuna back, "for a girl!"

Trading physical attacks for verbal ones seemed to be working very well. After just a few jabs it was clear that Asuna's kanka aura was steadily heating up. Eluding her attacks he drew her into a tighter spiral as he continued to taunt her before finally unleashing his attack. "Heaven's Blast of the Dragon!" Ranma shouted as he fell onto his back and threw a corkscrew punch. Propelling his opponent into the air by turning her kanka against her, Ranma watched as she collided with the barrier several times while the artificial tornado threw her around like a rag doll. After bouncing off the barrier several times her sword reverted back to a harisen before slipping out of her hands.

X

Setsuna wasn't surprised that Ranma had beaten Asuna, even that he had bested her so quickly and decisively; it was the fact that he had done so without strengthening himself with his ki. Using pure brute force (in his weaker form) and speed the cursed boy/girl had won against a magic and ki (kanka) enforced Asuna.

It was because of his victory that Eva had assigned her to work with the cursed boy. As the best in the club of using ki enhancement it was her job to teach him how to better use his ki. Sure, he was able to physically manifest his ki into balls and throw, and able to manifest claws, but aside from that he was well behind her in the use of ki energy. After only a day under her tutelage he was able to manifest a golden aura of ki. By the end of the week he had managed a pale yellow.

It had been one thing to spar with him, but it was another thing altogether for him to start following her around when they weren't training. And despite the fact that she wasn't training him, he still acted as though he was training.

"Would you stop that!" she hissed so that no one else would hear.

"What?" Ranma replied as he finished scooping up the gold fish in another tank.

"That!"

"Are you mad that I'm winning these," Ranma nodded at the pile of stuffed animals behind him, "or that I'm the one giving them to Konoe-san?"

Setsuna fumed at the insinuation. Of all the girls in the club, only the chocolate haired girl was addressed thus by Ranma, and only in the presence of the swordswoman. Setsuna knew that he was doing it on purpose just to irk her. Unable to think of anything to say she was saved by Chachamaru's arrival.

"What's up Chachamaru?" Ranma asked as he tossed the android a stuffed lion.

"The master asked me to deliver one of these to each of the club members," she replied as she caught the prize with one hand while presenting the badges with her other.

"What's this, a badge?" Asuna asked as she took one from her classmate.

"It's a specially made present from the master to everyone in the club. Ranma, this one's for you."

"It's inverted," he said, stating the obvious.

"The master felt that since you aren't a student you shouldn't get one like the rest of the club members," Chachamaru explained. "The slight variation should be enough to keep note your part in the group while also noting your distinction from the group.

"Since it would be awkward to continue using 'Club Negima Temp' as your name -actually, it's more that the master hated that name – as an imitation of the Thousand Master's 'Crimson Wing' she proposed that you refer to yourself as the 'White Wing' to outsiders."

"That name's not half bad," Konoe conceded cheerfully.

"I guess Eva has some sense of style," Asuna added as she avoided glancing at Ranma. It was clear to everyone that while she could physically endure losing to Ranma her pride had taken a serious hit.

"However, since those badges are a sign of your membership, anyone who loses their badge before parting for England will be forced to leave the club," Chachamaru added.

"Ehh!" the girls shouted in unison.

"This sure is a scary badge."

"Except for you of course," Chachamaru added as she handed Ranma his unique badge.

As the girls wandered off Ranma and Chachamaru headed towards several food stands.

"So about this trip... Eva's said that she doesn't expect anything to go wrong, so why does she want me to go along?" he asked as he picked up several treats for himself.

"The master wants you to go just in case anything happens," the android explained as she examined the snow cone. "If anything does happen your badge is equipped with a communication device that should let you send messages to the master. Each of the badges is equipped with a tracking device, and yours allows you to easily find the other badges.

"Don't worry about the expenses. She will cover all your expenses as well as the agreed upon payment should finding a cure for you be beyond what she is capable of doing."

Reassured, the cursed boy tried to relax and enjoy the summer festival.

"Just relax and enjoy the show," Chachamaru added as she pointed at the antics and mayhem of the other White Wing members.

"You know, it's kinda funny when I'm not in the middle of things," Ranma admitted as he watched the other members defend their badges from their classmates.

"It must also be nice to be around so many girls and not have them fighting over you or throwing themselves at you," Konoka stated as she chuckled lightly

Nodding, Ranma couldn't help but agree. "That it is."

* * *

A/N

This is a re-write. I'll slowly get around to rewriting all of the chapters to my original fic.

Dreamingfox


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to all who've read and reviewed this fic. And thanks to everyone who's read it without reviewing. As some of you may have noticed I've altered the name of the fic as it was kind of bland. Hopefully you all like it.

I'm sticking to the manga for both Ranma and Negima. The girls of 3-A are in middle school, and I think they're roughly in what we would consider as 8th grade, thus putting them around 13-14, maybe 15 (Sayo and Evangeline are obviously older) while Ranma is 16-17. As such there's no reason for me to put him in 3-A. I'm not ruling out shipping Ranma, just not sure who to pair him up with. I'll figure it out as I write the next few chapters so you'll just have to see who he might have a relationship with.

* * *

The refreshing salty breeze combined with the hot summer sun always made the beach a great summer destination – for most people at least. While Ranma couldn't complain that his few trips to the beach had been uneventful or forgettable, that didn't equate to being enjoyable summer vacations. Memories like the fight with Cologne over the Phoenix pill, Akane and the giant jelly fish, trying to hook Cologne and Happosai up, and the many other misadventures were definitely not events that were easily forgotten.

This time he hoped it would be different. Though the girls from 3-A had nothing on the Nerima Wrecking crew, there were more of them, which could easily make up the difference. Besides, this was the first time that he would be able to enjoy the beach as a guy. Hopefully he could at least, given the layer of waterproof soap, and waterproof sun block he wouldn't be able to change.

"Don't worry," Negi said as though reading his older companion's mind, "Evangeline gave you that illusion ring just in case you changed. No one except a skilled mage would be able to see through the illusion."

"Who's worrying?" Ranma replied. Despite weeks (or months, depending on how you looked at it) of training in the vampire's enchanted castle the others hadn't gotten to know Ranma other then as a sparring partner and the guy that occasionally turned into a girl, as such Negi and company weren't able to pick up on his bluffs (except when playing cards).

"Finally, no more training!" the exuberant redhead cried out as she lead the crowd of girls to the beach. "I can start to enjoy my summer vacation!"

"But think of all the time we could spend training," Nodoka replied as she stepped out into the sun.

"No more training!" the energetic paper girl replied as she turned to face the others. "We're here to enjoy ourselves – especially you!"

Grabbing Negi by the shoulder she stared down at the young teacher. "I promise you that you'll have so much fun today you won't even think of training. Have fun to your heart's content. You're gonna have fun until you drop dead!"

While Ranma wasn't looking to exhaust himself having fun and playing at the beach, he did agree that it was a good time to take a break from training. With all the training they had endured in the time warped castle everyone had made drastic improvements. They were definitely stronger and more experienced now then they had been at the beginning of the summer.

Breaking away from the girls he grabbed his surfboard and prepped it. While it had been a while since he had a good chance to use it, he knew that he didn't need to refresh his skills that much. To him it was basically a test of his ability to balance himself. But for the heir to the Anything Goes School of martial arts, balance was a key aspect of everything that he did.

Taking a step into the cold ocean water, he instinctively waited for the change. Though he felt the cold of the water, he didn't feel the usual wetness that he had expected. Wading into deeper and deeper water, he submerged himself to make sure that he had completely covered himself with both waterproof products. Surfacing he hopped on the board. Checking to see where the others he headed out to catch some waves.

After a morning of surfing Ranma figured that it was time for him to head back in for more sun block. Paddling back in, he watched as the twins dropkicked Negi off of the pier. Chuckling he headed toward his bag. Grabbing the lotion from his bag he rubbed it on his chest, arms, and legs. As flexible and dexterous as he was, even Ranma needed a hand when putting on the sun block.

"Need a hand?"

Turning around the cursed boy looked up at the other Saotome. Eying the library girl wearily Ranma nodded. _ It's only sun block, right? And she isn't part of the fiancé brigade, and none of the girls in the brigade were around, so it's alright, right?_ Tossing her the bottle he turned his back to her.

_That's cold_, he though as he felt her hands against his flesh, o_f course, it's the lotion. I can't believe that her hands are so gentle, and after all the training she's gone through too_.

For the next couple of minutes he couldn't help but compare her to the girls he knew. While he had spent a good amount of time with training with Mana, Kaede, Ku Fei, Asuna, and Setsuna he barely spent any time talking with any of the girls. The extent of their interactions outside of sparring with each other had been focused on strategy and techniques. Beyond that he had barely even associated with the other members of the club.

"There, all done," she stated, breaking the silence and bringing him back from his thoughts. "Um, could you?"

"Huh?"

Turning around he watched as she turned and offered her back to him. "You're sure you want some?"

"Everyone uses it at the beach so that it doesn't wash off. Yours just happens to be a slightly stronger formula."

Giving into her indisputable logic with a sigh, he reluctantly squeezed some lotion onto his hand. Closing the bottle with his other hand before setting it down, he rubbed his hands together. Cautiously he began to rub her shoulders and back, making sure to avoid the strings on her bikini.

"So, why aren't you joining in on the fun?" Ranma froze for a moment, not sure what to make of her question. "I mean Yue and Nodoka aren't the athletic type, and well, I'm not either; that's why we're not playing capture the flag, but you, you're like Asuna - you can't sit still for even a second. Do you not like us? Or is it just that you don't want to do anything with us girls? I can understand that because of all the issues you have with all your fiancés."

"Uh," he stammered, trying to think of what to say, "It's nothing like that. I just don't know much about any of you."

"So this would be a great time for you to do that, right?" she countered quickly.

"I don't know," he replied automatically. Feeling his hands drying up he pulled away from her and sat up straighter. "I guess."

Turning around to face him, she grabbed the bottle and applied some to her legs. Catching the glint in her eye Ranma wasn't sure what to make of it. Though it hinted at something mischievous, it lacked the gleam that Nibiki's eyes had whenever she had some scheme cooked up.

Finished with the lotion, Haruna stood up and grabbed his hands. Dragging him into the fray, she led him over towards the others. Slowly things started to add up.

* * *

It had all started with the doodling, for manga-ka like her it always started with the doodling. At first it was minor, but then they began to take a life of its own, then again, her artifact tended to do that to any of her drawings. Tiny pigtailed martial artists began fighting demonic flying yeti with octopus arms, kicking around ducks and piglets. It even got so bad that in a training session with Ku Fei, she had drawn a near copy of Ranma and his cursed form and sent them to battle Ku Fei. For the Chinese martial artist it was her first and possibly only victory against Ranma; though it signaled something else entirely to the Yue and Nodoka. It was slightly unnerving to have the shy and unassuming pair of best friends trying to convince her, the more outgoing of the trio, to, well, be more outgoing.

Just because he was slightly handsome (compared to the few guys she'd seen at the boy's academy that is) and was almost always around didn't make him a good choice for a boyfriend. Not to mention his issues with his 'fiancée brigade' and all the chaos surrounding them that probably left him emotionally and psychologically scarred.

Still, he was cute, not to mention reliable. Even Negi, Kotaro and Eva relied on him. While he wasn't as skilled at teaching as Ku Fei and Eva, Ranma had taken the two younger boys under his wing and taught them a few things. Even though he had agreed to protect Negi and the entire club, the cursed martial artist had done more than that. Sure, he had not made an effort to get to know the girls, but he had made an effort to protect the two younger boys from the girls' antics. It was almost brotherly, and in a way, very sweet of him.

The few times she'd seen him change into his cursed form she really didn't think anything of it. And of course she'd seen him soaked in sweat, so she had a rough idea of what he might look like with his shirt off, but seeing him shirtless at the beach – that was something completely different. She had expected him to have a lean build, probably even with well toned and muscles. Still, expecting something and actually seeing it in person had proved to be something completely different. Maybe, just maybe, it was just a schoolgirl's crush, but she could live with that.

* * *

The salty smell of the ocean always excited Akira. Though she spent a majority of her time in the water anyways, it was always nice to get out of the heavily chlorine water of the swimming pool and into pure, natural water. Besides, coming to the beach offered her a chance of seeing that cute guy that she's seen hanging out with Negi-sensei.

The mysterious guy had only shown up recently, suggesting that he wasn't from one of the all boys' academies, or nearby schools. With all the schools out for the summer it wouldn't surprise her if he was just visiting. Rumor had it that he was one of Kotaro's old training buddies as several of the girls had heard them referring to their sparring matches. Even Kazumi had no relevant information on him. While the fighters of the class had admitted that they had sparred against the elusive Ranma, they really didn't know anything about what the older boy.

Arriving at the beach she had been initially disappointed as he was nowhere in sight. It wasn't until she actually got into the water that she saw him on his surf board. Though he wasn't the flashiest or most spectacular surfer, he never fell off his board. It was as though he were casually strolling along the currents rather than fighting to maintain control as the waves tossed and tumbled.

Satisfied with the knowledge that he was nearby, she let herself be lead off by Yuna and Makie as they chased after Negi-sensei. Frolicking with her classmates she occasionally glanced out to the ocean to watch as the handsome stranger rode the waves.

As noon approached and the girls started organizing a game of capture the flag, she glanced out to sea again, hoping to catch sight of her crush again.

"You're on my team Akira," Yuna shouted as she tossed a ball at the swimmer.

Not seeing him, she turned her attention back to her companions. Suddenly her heart skipped a beat. Ranma was there, on the beach, with Haruna, casually putting lotion on her back. Time seemed to freeze as she watched the manga-ka stand up and grab Ranma's hand before leading him over to the group.

"Hey, don't forget me," Haruna cried out getting the attention of the game's captains.

"Ranma's on my team!" Kotaro shouted quickly. "No way we're gonna lose with you on the team!"

"Course not," Ranma replied as he high-fived his team captain.

"That's not fair!" the library trio shouted in protest. "Ranma and Asuna on the same team, that's not fair!"

After a few more minutes of trading players to even out the teams and the stakes Ranma found himself teamed up with Ayaka, Ako, Akira, Makie, Haruna and the Narutaki twins against Negi, Kotaro, Asuna, Setsuna, Mana, Ku Fei, Yue, and Nodoka. Though the game had started out evenly matched and lasted a while it was an uphill battle against the majority of the White Wings. Even without their magic they proved very formidable. Still, it had been an enjoyable game.

Though his team had lost Ranma had enjoyed the game. _So this is a normal trip to the beach_, he thought to himself. Taking a break from the breakneck pace that Asuna had set for the morning the group had broken down into several smaller groups as some left to get something to eat, others to clean up, and a few to take a more leisure stroll or swim. Wading in the shallow surf the three boys enjoyed their moment of respite.

"This is so nice and relaxing," the dog demon stated as he fell back into the surf and sand. "This is what a summer vacation should be - sun, fun, and good times."

"Enjoy the peace while it lasts," Ranma advised. "Ayaka and the others are staying at the same hotel."

"Hehe that sounds like fun" Negi chuckled.

The peaceful and serine scene was quickly interrupted as a young girl launched herself at the unsuspecting Negi. Pulling the kid out of harm's way, Ranma shielded the runts from the aftermath of the missed attack as a wave of ocean water splashed them.

"You guys alright?"

Negi and Kotaro blushed, trying to avert their eyes. It took a moment for Ranma to realize just what had happened – his waterproofing had worn off or he had missed a large enough spot that had left him open to being splashed by the cold ocean water. Though the illusion ring would cover for him, against anyone who could see through illusions, like Negi and Kotaro, the ring was nearly useless.

"I can't believe …" their assailant started before realizing just what it was that she saw. Clearly she, like her intended victim, had some magical ability and could see through the minor glamour that the ring provided.

"Anya?" Negi squeaked out as he recognized his attacker.

"I think she's in shock," Kotaro stated as he looked past Ranma's half-naked form to the stunned girl. Waving his hand before her frozen gaze he glanced at Negi.

As the two younger boys pulled the unconscious girl from the ocean Ranma grabbed a bottle of hot water (thankfully he had brought one, though it had been enchanted to stay hot) and poured it over his head. With the number of magically sensitive people he knew, it would just be embarrassing to reveal him the way he was to them. Just in case anything else happened, he put a shirt on.


	3. Chapter 3

Author Notes

Thanks for everyone who's read and reviewed.

I have to apologize for any grammatical or spelling errors in the fic. While I'm generally pretty anal about my own mistakes, they still occur as I still am looking for a good beta to help make this fic better.

I hope everyone likes this chapter.

Again, please read and review.

* * *

Sitting in the hotel room Anya wasn't sure what to make of the trio of boys before her. As she listened to her longtime friend explain just what had happened to her, she couldn't help but steal glances at the cursed boy. Though such occurrences might be normal for the pigtailed boy, they were anything but for the young mage in training.

"So you're not one of Negi's students?" she asked as she tried to piece together all that she'd heard and what she remembered of Negi's letters home.

"Nope," he replied, though there was much more that he had wanted to say Negi had asked him and Kotaro to leave all the explanations to him. For now it was Negi's show.

"Thanks for bringing me here. But I'm here to take Negi home." Jumping to her feet she grabbed Negi's hand before trying to drag him out of the room. "It's all because you didn't come home even though it's summer break."

Gathering himself Negi pulled back. "Take me home?"

With a pleading face, she looked at Negi. "I'm here representing Nekane too – she's lonely without you." Energized she renewed her efforts to extract him from the room. "If you don't understand then let's go home now."

Still stunned Ranma and Kotaro couldn't help but observe as Negi and Anya played out their scene. "Sorry, but he can't go with you right now," Ranma said firmly. Standing up he walked over to the European duo. "While it may be summer vacation he still has duties as a teacher, he's here supervising a school club that he advises."

Watching the sharp eyed girl with her intent glare at him Ranma knew that she was trying to size him up. Though Ranma himself had been a thorn in the side of the administration at Furinkan High School, he usually respected the teachers whenever they weren't doing something crazy like trying to enforce one of Principal Kuno's weird rules. And while this wasn't an official club activity, Negi was here with his students.

Maintaining the intensity of her glare her eyes darted from Ranma to Negi. _What's their connection? Negi never mentioned him in his letters home. He mentioned dog boy, but never this Ranma character_.

"Anya, you must be tired after coming all the way from Wales, right?" Negi said, interrupting her thoughts. "Why don't you at least stay for dinner and rest up first?"

"We'll just leave you two to catch up." Standing up, he led Kotaro out of the room. "We'll let the girls know not to bother you two during dinner."

* * *

"He's having dinner with a girl!"

"Negi-sensei's childhood friend?"

"What!"

Listening to the outburst from the girls, Ranma shook his head. _Just like the Fiancé Brigade_.

Seeing the look on his companion's face, Kotaro snickered. Too young to really understand just how menacing and difficult girls could be the young demon was at least able to recognize the discomfort that the older boy was in and to attribute it to the chaos that seemed to swirl around both Negi and Ranma.

"What's the meaning of this?" Ayaka asked. Even outside of class the others looked to her to take charge of any situation.

"Negi's childhood friend is visiting," Ranma repeated. He just wasn't sure how to explain things to the girls. It probably didn't help that he was a complete stranger to most of them. "He asked that he not be disturbed during dinner. You know, so he can catch up with his childhood friend. He hasn't seen her since before he came to Japan you know."

"Is she cute?"

"Are they the same age?"

"Oooh, I wanna see!"

"Just a peak," someone pleaded.

It was like trying to stem the ocean's tide with a bag of sand. The horde of girls was unstoppable as they swarmed over him and slide the door open just enough to peek inside at the two kids inside. Defeated, Ranma and Kotaro resigned themselves to the fact that at least the girls were content to observe and not interject themselves to the dinner.

Despite her lack of fanaticism and obsession for her underage sensei Akira found herself drawn into the fray as Yuna and Makie tried to get a good look at the new girl. At least Ranma was close by. Watching as he and Kotaro kept the other girls in check and out of Negi's room she couldn't help but wonder just what he had done to earn the respect and trust of not only the other girls but Negi as well.

"This could be bad for you," Haruna stated, drawing the other girls' attention. "Look at how he's acting right now. While talking with this girl he's rather casual. That means he's letting his guard down. Also note his casual speech." Pausing to let her point sink in, the manga-ka made sure that she had everyone's attention. "He's only informal with Takahata-sensei and Kotaro-kun but he's always formal when it comes to 3-A."

"You forgot Ranma," Kotaro added with a grin.

"I just noticed this myself," she continued, drawing everyone back to her, "but what it means is that when it comes to 3-A Negi-kun has built a wall around his heart!"

Never one to care about titles, especially in regards to authority figures, he almost never used the various ways to signify his relationship to his peers or the other people that had been around him in Nerima. Then again, he'd only managed to make one friend in his years of traveling and training because they'd never stayed in any place long enough for him to actually get to know anyone. Social skills were definitely not his strong suit.

Seeing the girls fall through the threshold of Negi's room Ranma sighed. Though relatively mild compared to the wrecking crew, the girls of 3-A definitely were chaotic and disruptive. Resigned to the chaos Ranma absolved himself of it as he walked way. "I'm headed to the hot-springs."

* * *

Slipping into the soothing hot water for the spring Haruna sighed as she felt the tension in her body being eased away. Enjoying the open air bath she closed her eyes before taking a deep breath. Sighing as she tasted the salty ocean breeze in the air, she couldn't help but hope that they could spend a little more time at the beach. Playing they day away was much better than training, but both were good options since she had managed to spend part of the day with Ranma. Cupping water in her hands she giggled as she recalled the highlight of her day – letting Ranma put sun block on her back. Sure, she had also put some on his well muscled and toned back, but feeling his hands on her back was definitely better then feeling his strong back, only slightly.

"Why are you so giddy?" Nodoka asked.

"Me, nothing," she lied. "I'm just thinking of how interesting the situation is with Negi-sensei and Anya-chan."

"No you're not," Yue counted as she glazed at her longtime friend. "You're just evading and deflecting the question. I bet it has something to do with Ranma."

Had her face not been slightly flush already from the hot water the manga-ka was sure that the other two thirds of the library trio would have caught on to her act. Thankfully she was saved from further interrogation as the young western girl entered the bath area. With her long hair tied up in a ponytail the young westerner slipped into the hot water.

Anya wasn't sure what to make of the three girls already in the open air bath. Two of them were barely developed, so she ruled them out as rivals for Negi's affection, but the third was starting to develop. And the mischievous gleam of light in her eyes suggested that she knew more then she let on, or at least was plotting something. Both of those weighed against the speckled girl being a potential ally, but from what she had seen the girl wasn't fanatical or obsessed with Negi like a majority of the girls. Deciding on a more cautious approach, she smiled meekly, "If I remember correctly the three of you already know about the existence of magic."

"Ah, yes, we already know," replied Nodoka.

"I'm Ayase Yue."

"Haruna Saotome."

"Saotome, like Ranma?" Anya asked.

"Same family, but no relation," Nodoka replied with a smile.

"Yet," Yue added with a giggle.

"So you're a mage in training like Negi-Sensei?" Haruna asked as she tried to divert attention away from herself.

"Yes, as a fortuneteller." Reveling in the fact that her training was something more along the lines of what a typical mage in training endured then what Negi was enduring.

"Does that mean that you have a partner? You know, through pactio?" Nodoka asked casually.

"Pac-! You know about that too!" the younger girl exclaimed, stunned and flustered by the revelation. Taking a moment to collect her emotions, Anya avoided looking at the three of them. "I haven't done anything like that yet…. They say that we're supposed to pick our partners carefully."

Listening intently the three girls moved closer to the younger girl.

"I doubt that Negi's – it couldn't be with Ranma." Haruna squirmed at the mention of her crush and the notion that he might have kissed Negi. "He's definitely strong if he could dodge my Flame Buster. And he does change into a girl… But gender doesn't matter when choosing a partner…." The manga-ka's vivid imagination worked against her as she imagined girl Ranma kissing Negi. "Or that Asuna – but she's such an airhead. No way he'd pactio with her!"

"Actually" Haruna started before being dunked under the water by her two closest friends.

"Actually Ranma's pretty strong," Nodoka interjected drawing attention back from her more outgoing and rumor mongering companion.

"Yeah," Yue seconded, "he's much stronger then anyone in our class."

Surfacing Haruna shook the water out of her face. "And he doesn't like being a girl. It is a curse you know."

Not sure what to make of what the other girls had said Anya tried to consider everything. Unfortunately for her train of thought was derailed as several other girls from 3-A arrived. Glancing at the bustier older girls she declared, "They're all my enemies!"

* * *

Given the oath that his father had taken to his mother about making him a "man among men" there were few things that humbled Ranma - unfortunately the girls of 3-A had quickly picked up on his greatest weakness - being unable to play cards. The glaring weakness hardly mattered in Ranma's martial arts training as he had yet to cross anyone who practiced martial arts old maid, or martial arts poker, then again, martial arts weren't meant to come down to mere chance. Bluffing, reading one's opponent and taking chances were part of any good back and forth battle and fights could be determined by one's ability to take advantage of the terrain, but to have virtually random and arbitrary cards affecting the outcome of a battle were ridiculous. Besides, you really couldn't train to play cards unless it was to cheat, and Ranma preferred to not cheat.

But sitting across from Akira, Asuna, Ako, Konoka, Makie, and Setsuna, he was definitely questioning his morals and ethics in regards to cheating. After having spent the majority of the evening losing to him in ping pong, they had turned the tables on him when they insisted on playing a group game. Sure, it was nice to get away from playing one-on-one or even one-on-two, but it did leave many of the girls sitting on the sidelines. While the girls had initially worked together to avenge their earlier losses at the ping pong table, it soon became clear that they didn't need to.

Playing penalty old maid had gotten boring after the fourth hand as Ranma had lost each round. To make things more interesting they had forced the bottom three players to also endure penalties, though depending on where one placed the worse the penalty. Humbled by his string of losses Ranma was playing shirtless, with a face drawn on his bare chest and stomach that rivaled the one Ryoga had once endured. Makie, the second loser of the previous round, had to request a card from Ako whom she was drawing cards from and had to say "That was a wise choice Master" to Akira who drew a card from her. And Konoka as the third loser of the previous round had her face painted to look like a tiger.

Having convinced the girls to play one last hand so that he could try to avenge his earlier losses Ranma waited for Ako to offer her cards to him. Hearing her slight snicker he knew he'd drawn the Joker. The one good thing about having the Joker was that he always drew other cards, which improved his chances of completing a pair. Drawing a card he smiled. "Ha!" he shouted as he put down a pair of threes, fewer cards for him to deal with and all the closer to possibly winning. With so many players it was actually harder to match a pair with the cards spread out between the seven players. His goal for the game was not to win, just to not lose, but with Setsuna having already out of the game it would be harder for him to not lose.

Holding his cards out for Asuna she drew a card and screwed her face as she missed making a pair. Holding out her cards she offered them to Akira. Picking a card the swimmer smiled as she. Throwing down her a pair of cards and leaving her with only one card for Maki to take.

Watching the remainder of the round Akira silently rooted for Ranma. As the second winner she could impose a penalty on the second loser, which the martial artist might see as an improvement from being the big loser. After a few rounds Konoka joined her and Setsuna as the winners for the hand.

"That was a wise choice Master," Makie said as Ako took her final card. Glad to be free of the penalty and having no additional penalty to worry about the gymnast jumped around in glee.

With two cards left in his hand Ranma eagerly waited for his turn. Drawing a seven from Ako, he quickly shuffled his cards in hopes of throwing Asuna off. Having picked up on the fact that he lacked any sort of game face he offered his cards face down to the redhead. Once she picked a card he quickly looked at his remaining hand – the joker and the two.

Grinning Asuna threw down a pair of sevens, leaving her with two cards. Offering her remaining cards to Ako her grin quickly faded as the footballer threw down a pair of fours, leaving her with only one card.

_Come on, come on_, Akira cheered silently as Ranma took Ako's final card. With five cards between the two remaining players somehow the final two players traded the joker several times before Ranma finally drew the two to match his and finished the final pair.

"Ha! Take that!" he shouted excitedly before jumping up and literally bouncing off the walls as he ran his little victory lap. After several minutes he finally settled down to hear the penalties that the winners would impose on them.

"Asuna," Setsuna began as she addressed the first loser, "you have to go get us some drinks."

Akira's mind raced with several possible penalties for Ranma before finally settling on one. "Ranma, you have to give me a massage - a back massage."

Slipping his robe back on Ranma shrugged. It was less embarrassing then the face they had painted on him and it wasn't something he was completely unused to doing. Seating himself behind the swimmer as she put her hair up, he delicately caressed her back through the robe as he felt for her tense muscles. Unleashing a light but steady barrage of pin point accurate fingertip strikes on her pressure points to either increase or decrease the tension in her muscles he followed up with another set of open palm strikes in the same pattern. Repeating the sequence twice more he could definitely feel her muscles relax naturally after each pass.

"Better?" he asked as he stood up.

The girls around him stared at him, some in disbelief, others in skeptically. The blindingly quick flurry of motion had been the only indication that anything had happened.

"Wha- You can't be done already?" Asuna shouted. "You can't get out of your penalty that easily!"

"That's amazing," Akira stated as she turned to look up at Ranma. "I feel so relaxed. I've never had such a good massage, what did you do?"

"Pressure points," Ranma said as though that explained everything.

* * *

Hope you liked the chapter.

Please Read and Review.

The next chapter might take a while due to the coming lurking cold that's been nagging me for the past few days, and the approaching holiday. Not to mention that I have two families to share the holiday with, once we figure out who's dinner is when. Married life and all...


	4. Chapter 4

Author Notes

Thanks for everyone who's read and reviewed.

I have to apologize for any grammatical or spelling errors in the fic. While I'm generally pretty anal about my own mistakes, they still occur as I still am looking for a good beta to help make this fic better.

I realize that the last chapter wasn't the greatest, but I hope that it doesn't keep you all from enjoying the entire story.

While Ranma may not be a master at pressure points, I think that he's fully capable of employing them outside of battle. He did massage Rogue (the girl that fell into the spring of drowned Asura (sp?) in her fight against Taro). Ranma's also had to barrow more then a few medical books from Dr. Tofu as the good doctor wasn't always very reliable or available.

I hope everyone likes this chapter.

Again, please read and review. Constructive criticism is very welcome.

* * *

Feeling the cool morning air with every breath Ranma closed his eyes and focused. In his mind's eye he tried to imagine the layout of the hotel's garden. Gently leaping onto the lawn he didn't open his eyes until he had landed softly on the dew covered grass. Performing a few katas that he had improvised over his many years of training he could feel his muscles loosen as he moved around. Finished with his morning ritual he closed his eyes once more, trying again to fill the garden's layout in his mind. Working through the kata without his eyes, he ignored the girls that he knew were watching him as he tried to eliminate the distractions and focused on his morning routine.

Like a deer staring into the headlights, Anya watched in complete silence. Having woken up from her dream she had initially rushed to Negi's room only to find Ranma in the garden. The normally blusterous and exuberant teen's somberness had drawn her in like a moth to the flame. Sitting down to better watch the scrappy teen Anya noticed that she was not alone - Ku Fei, Kaede, Akira, Ako, Haruna, Kotaro, Negi, and Asuna had all taken a seat to watch the impromptu display of skill. While Ranma was often very vocal about what he'd done and endured in his past training sessions and fights, his slacker mentality suggested that he had perhaps exaggerated his accomplishments, but watching his display of speed, dexterity, and precision led the young mage in training to believe that there was definitely more to Ranma then what he often let on.

_He's definitely strong and he keeps the other girls inline. Maybe we can stay a few more days. _Shaking her head she tried to break the strange trance she'd entered.

Once he finished his kata Ranma faced off against Kotaro and Negi. The flurry of attacks by both of the younger boys initially led many to believe that they were controlling the fight as they appeared to throw the majority of the punches and kicks. In truth the pair was at a great disadvantage as they surrendered height, power, and skill to their opponent. What wasn't apparent was the disadvantage in speed.

"How come Kotaro and Negi are being pushed back?" Ako asked as she turned to Ku Fei.

"Look at Ranma's shoulders and hips," the Chinese martial artist explained.

Watching the older boy's movements it soon became clear that he was throwing punches and kicks faster then their eyes could follow. What looked to be one block or punch was actually a series of attacks that forced his opponents back.

Even though they were not going all out, Anya was sure that Ranma would have been able to beat both of his opponents. Despite his erratic and often seemingly pointless attacks did not connect they were more than enough to force either Negi or Kotaro back as well as keep them off balance. To the casual, or inexperience observer, it almost appeared as though he was disinterested in the fight.

Scrutinizing their fight it was clear to her that Negi had come along way. Even if it was just a purely physical fight Ranma had managed to push Negi and Kotaro further then Anya had expected them to go. The realization that he had surpassed her, at least physically, was alarming. If he had anyone with as much magical talent as Ranma had physical talent then he could easily have left her behind, which was not good for her.

* * *

Although she barely knew anything about him, and had only known him for a few weeks Akira could tell that Ranma was definitely distracted. Writing it off as having never traveled abroad before, she knew that there was something else on his mind. While she normally would have asked the class's rumor monger, Haruna had shown some interest in the pig-tailed martial artist herself. Not wanting to rely on a potential rival for assistance she had been forced to ask Kazumi for the scoop. Unfortunately due to the momentous occasion that the trip to England was for the girls who were going, the class reporter and photographer had proven to be hard to pin down. Seeing Kotaro and Negi vacating their seats next to the older boy Akira seized her chance and quickly moved to claim the seat to his right.

"Hey Ranma, mind if I sit here?"

"Huh, or sure," he replied without looking up from the manga that he was reading.

Noting the manga she sat down and leaned towards him, "So, what are you reading?"

"Hmm," glancing at her as she invaded his personal space he tried to brush it off. "Baki, Son of Ogre. Haruna gave it to me. I needed something to do during the flight." Turning the manga so that she could get a better view of it he forced himself to lean towards her.

"It's in English," Akira noted as she glanced over the page.

"Yeah, Negi thinks that I need to work on my English," Ranma explained. In truth, it had been in Japanese but Negi had cast a translation charm on the books so that he could work on his English.

"So you like reading manga?"

"Not really, I just needed something to do." Handing her the book he pulled something out of his bag. "They also gave me this. It plays music and some video games. Most of it is loaded with English vocabulary and English lessons."

"So what music do you have on it?"

"Me, music? Actually I didn't put anything on it. Mana, Kaede, Setsuna, Yue, Asuna, Chisame, and Nodoka put some songs that they liked on it. I really don't listen to music much."

"So you don't read anything for fun really, and you don't listen to much music?" she asked skeptically.

"I guess."

"So what do you do for fun?"

Ranma paused as he tried to think of something to say. What did he like to do for fun? "I don't know actually. I usually don't have any time to just hang out and have fun."

"So you don't do anything for fun? That sounds kind of boring."

"Well, I like the arts," he replied quickly. "I guess that I've just been so busy training and with school. And whenever I go to do something, something else happens so I don't get to go out and relax much."

Eying him disbelievingly Akira couldn't imagine living that kind of life. Sure, she dedicated herself to swimming, but she still made time to relax.

"Martial arts isn't like swimming," Ranma stated in his defense. "When you compete you race against someone. When I compete someone's ego can get bruised. Bruise someone's ego enough and sometimes they come after you. I could be sitting in class and someone comes around to challenge me; I sit down and eat dinner and I have to defend my dinner from my pop; I go to pick up groceries and find that I have to rescue someone from a rival. Things like that happen to me all the time."

Akira just couldn't picture herself in Ranma's shoes. Sure, she had some rivals in the pool, but they never came after her like Ranma's rivals apparently did. His was the life of some anime or manga character, the ones who just couldn't sit still without something happening to him. Then again, Ku Fei used to have all those fights in the morning as she defended her title from members of the other martial arts clubs, but did she ever have to run off and rescue someone?

"Things just keep happening, which keeps me from getting bored I guess," he said with a chuckle. It wasn't a chuckle because he thought his life was funny, more because he wanted to defuse the awkwardness of the situation. Since Akira didn't know about the existence of magic he wasn't allowed to tell her about any of his misadventures that might cue her off, that and he didn't want to go on about his crazy life and how he had a whole brigade of fiancés. "And when they don't I just have to enjoy the down time and relax. So, what do you like to do?" he asked, trying to divert her attention.

"Just normal everyday girl stuff I guess," she replied. Realizing just how foolish that answer was, she laughed. "But I guess normal is a relative term."

Turning on the MP3 player, she pulled out earplugs. "Why don't we listen to what the girls put on here and see if there's anything you like? I'm sure we can get Chisame and the others to download more music once we find something you like."

Together they listened to the various songs on the tiny device. Sharing laughs as they listened and rated the songs Ranma was glad that he had someone to help pass the time with. Hours later after the playlist had been replaced by the English lesson Ranma failed to repress a yawn. Blinking back the drowsy feeling he felt a weigh on his shoulder. Listening to her shallow and regular breathing he decided against waking her. Sitting back he couldn't help but think that today was a good day as he slowly slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

"That was fun," Kotaro exclaimed as the boys entered Lebenschilt Castle.

"A completely normal trip to the beach this time," Negi stated as he led group towards the training ground. "How many girls did you have to massage?"

"Three -Haruna, Konoka, and Akira," he rattled off as though it were nothing.

"I think you need to stop playing old maid," Kotaro chuckled.

"That's enough of out of you, you little pup," Ranma replied as he patted the canine demon's head and pulled him into a headlock. Jumping into the playful fray Negi literally jumped on Ranma's back.

"That's enough for the three of you!" the undersized vampire shouted. The three boys quickly ceased goofing off and stood at attention.

"Who's she?" Anya asked Yue.

"She's the castle's master," the slacker girl replied in a quiet tone. "She's also our classmate."

"It's a long story," Nodoka stated, silencing any further questions from the inquisitive mage in training.

"Since the three of you are so full of energy why don't you start things off for us today?" Eva commanded rather then ordered. "Who else?" she asked as she scanned the rest of the girls. "Asuna, it'll be a good test to see if you've improved at all."

Sprinting into the training area the three boys and the redhead took their places faced each other. Free of their tethers and restrictions the four cut loose.

Ki and magical energies clashed as the three exchanged blows. Light yellow balls of ki collided against Negi's wind barrier or left smoking craters in the stone floor as Asuna or Kotaro dodged. Arrows of light and shadow caromed off at angles as Ranma deflected them with palm strikes. Sparks flew as Asuna's blade sliced through stone as Ranma evaded her wide yet powerful slashes.

Having witnessed the three boy's morning sparring matches at the hotel and seen some of Negi's magic spells Anya was still confounded by the level of their fighting skills. At the hotel she had initially misinterpreted Ranma as being disinterested by fighting the two younger boys but seeing him fighting with the same loose and laid-back approach suggested that he really was just a slacker.

And yet he was so very powerful, and without using any magic. She knew that it was possible for fighters to get this powerful, but usually they relied on using magic or in some cases a mix of magic and ki enhancements, but for him to not only go toe-to-toe against two skilled magical fighters and win was even more improbable.

"Good fight," Ranma stated as he helped the two younger boys out of the arena.

"Thanks," the two echoed as they congratulated the older boy on his victory.

"How'd you know that I'd appear right behind you?" Negi asked as Konoka healed him.

Shrugging Ranma gulped down some water. "I just figured you'd do that – try and take advantage of my blind spot by teleporting right behind me. Especially since Kotaro wasn't attacking straight on so if I did dodge your attack he wouldn't get hit accidentally."

"How was that Anya?" the teeny teacher asked.

"Wha- What do you mean 'How was that?'" Stunned, she was trying to find the right words. "How the heck can you pull off such incredible magical combat? I've never even heard of anything like that in the advanced text books! And how was Ranma able to beat you with just ki enhancements? There's no way he can jump that high without magic!"

Not wanting to intrude into the childhood friends' conversation, Ranma merely followed the pair as they teleported to another area. As usual, the chaos that enveloped Negi and Ranma had chased off normalcy as evidenced by Kaede being slammed into the wall by Ku Fei, and Asuna falling over a hundred feet and saving herself as magically created wings vanished. Unfortunately for them Anya didn't seem to take well to the chaos.

"How is it that everyone here is so powerful? What are you people, super-humans? Mutants? Aliens?" Anya shouted in disbelief as she tried to rationalize everything that she had seen.

"Well," Yue started to explain as she tried to calm the hysterical girl, "you could say it's because everyone here holds a clear objective and piles up their studies under a great teacher."

"What teacher?" Anya asked.

"The master of this castle – Evangeline A. K. McDowell."

"Eva-Evangeline…? The Undead Mage?" Anya stuttered as the reality of the situation dawned on her.

"Evangeline is that big a deal?" he whispered to Kotaro while trying to follow Anya's conversation with the girls.

"I guess," the pup replied as Anya came face to face with Eva before dashing off.

Watching Negi, Yue, and Nodoka chase after her Ranma figured that they had things well in hand. Seeing Chachazero floating over to him he knew that the former partner to the vampire had something to say to him.

"Ranma, Kotaro, the mistress wants to see you both later."

* * *

The air around Negi's hometown was definitely different from Nerima and Mahora. The quaint village hidden away in the mountain valley reminded him of Japan's countryside, nothing like what he had expected. Then again, he wasn't sure what to expect. Following Negi and the girls around he simply tried to take in the sights. Though it seemed to overwhelm the girls, Ranma knew that there was much more to what they saw then met their inexperienced eyes. Unlike London which bustled with and activity, the small hamlet shouted peace and quiet while whispering of something more mysterious beneath the surface. Just what it was he couldn't say.

Not wanting to stand out too much he tried to enjoy himself. Experimenting with the English food, he made an effort to sample everything individually and then in combinations to see if anything suited his particular tastes. Though different then what he was used to, it was definitely more edible then anything Akane could cook up.

Slipping out with the rest of the White Wings after dinner had proven to be a bit more difficult then he had expected. Having previously separated from the other girls at the airport only made it that much less likely that they'd lower their guard again. If not for Setsuna's paper doll replicates they probably wouldn't have slipped away.

Following Anya the group made their way down several passages until they descended down a stone stairway.

"You haven't changed one bit!" she cried out as they reached the bottom of the steps.

"Anya!" someone from inside the chamber shouted. "You've even brought others down here with you!"

Ranma recognized Nekane and Negi, but the grizzled man standing behind them was new. From his clothes it was clear that he was a mage, probably the man in charge of the mages in the village, if not one of the people in charge.

"So what? These people are assisting Negi." Walking past the trio she made her way past several statues. "Besides, I have a right to see this place as well as them."

Scanning the room Ranma noticed hundreds of very lifelike statues in the chamber.

"These are the people from Negi's village," Nodoka stated as she bit back tears.

"Negi's village was attached when he was younger," Haruna whispered to him as she pulled closer to him. The normally upbeat and unshakable girl's voice trembled as she explained things to the newest member of the group.

"God, this place reeks of moodiness just as much as ever! Wouldn't it be better if we just put them up for auction or something? Think of the profit we could make!"

Anya's display struck Ranma as a bit odd. Though she was normally a very rowdy person, she seemed especially intense.

"You like older men, right Asuna? You'd probably like this geezer!"

"Anya-chan!" Clearly affronted, the redhead was making a beeline for the younger girl.

"Hey, this one over here is pretty dandy too!"

Grabbing her arm Negi stopped her before anything bad could happen. Making eye contact with her he shook his head. "That statue… is Anya's mother."

Taking a quick glimpse at the statue Ranma could tell that the girl's mother had spent her last moments in a panic. Staring up at her mother's frozen face Anya started to brush away the dirt as she started up a conversation with her mother.

Feeling Haruna trembling beside him Ranma put his arm around her as he tried to comfort her. Resting her head against his shoulder she wrapped her arm around his, reassured by having his strong arm around her, supporting her.

_Perhaps I can find a better way to define "Man among Men" for mom_.

* * *

Walking back to the hotel the solemn procession was broken by a gentle late summer breeze.

"Apparently she found out about that chamber before I did. She'd go down there and visit her mother occasionally," Negi explained to the others. "At the time of the attack she was a boarding student at Meldiana, so she was spared from the events of that night."

"I see," Haruna replied as she processed what had happened. Though she was glad to have Ranma's support back in the chamber she had moved between her two best friends as the group made their way back to the hotel.

"Are you alright?" Asuna asked as she turned to address Negi.

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"Nothing," Asuna replied as she turned away. "It's just that, well, I mean, after seeing all that…."

"Oh…. I'm fine. I made sure that I was prepared to see it." Steeling himself he started back down the road. "Besides, that place is my starting point. I really understood that today. So, I'm glad I was able to see everyone from the village today. I need to do my best so that Uncle Stan doesn't laugh at me.

"I think it was good for everyone," Ranma stated as he struck his casual pose –arms behind his head as he walked on. "Now we know just how serious things could get, and how much harder we all need to work to get better so that something like that doesn't happen to any of us."

* * *

Despite their late night the group was able to wake up on time for their early morning rendezvous. It was early, way too early for Ranma. Even though he had slept on the plane he knew that his body hadn't completely adapted to the time difference, but he couldn't complain. As the one with the least baggage he was the first to be ready for the day ahead.

Brushing his lips with his fingers he thought he could still feel the warmth with his fingertips. _This_ _isn't the time for regrets. I did what I had to do._ His resolve fortified, he threw on the special robe. Following the group through the mist he half-heartedly listened to Kaede explain how they had dealt with the rest of the girls from 3-A.

"Well, then, we're heading out," Negi stated as the group was about to cross the threshold to the gateway.

"Okay, take care of yourself Negi," Nekane replied. Behind her the stern and steady mage nodded at them.

"Everybody, you all have the robes from the inn on, right?" their guide asked.

"Yep." "Yeah." "I do." "Me too."

"Good," Donet replied as she scanned the group. "Those robes will let you cross the threshold to enter the gateway. If you fall too far behind me then you'll end up wandering the fog for several hours before ending up back at the village."

Sensing someone behind them, Ranma hung back.

"What is it?" Asuna asked.

"Someone's following us." As if she were on cue Yukihiro emerged from the mists.

"I'll handle her," the redhead stated as she moved towards her classmate.

Moving off just far enough that they could speak privately he waited for Asuna. After a few moments the redhead joined him as the blond waved goodbye. Rushing to catch up with the others they failed to notice the other girls following them.

"There aren't any cases of normal humans stumbling through here, are there?" he heard Yue ask.

Though he heard Donet reply, he couldn't tell what she had actually said. Following the others he stepped through the barrier. After just a few steps he noticed that the fog completely dissipated. Ignoring the antics of the girls Ranma pulled out some instant ramen as he prepared something for breakfast. Fending off Kotaro's attacks on his breakfast he managed to wolf down a few of his opponent's sandwiches.

"What's Yue doing?" he asked as he pointed at the library girl with his chopsticks.

"I think she's trying to explain something about the history of this place," Kotaro replied. Turning back to the food he realized he'd just fallen for one of Ranma's tricks. "That was mine!"

"Tu bad," Ranma somehow managed to day as he inhaled the rest of Kotaro's eggs. "We should get going."

Wiping the fragments of eggs off his face Kotaro resolved to get back at the older boy.

Gathering their things the group headed towards the large stone structures. "Everyone," Donet called out for everyone's attention, "please gather around this first circle. The gate will open in a few more minutes and we'll be off."

Soaking in the sight before him Ranma wasn't sure what to make of, well, everything. In all of his travels he had never seen anything like this, except maybe on TV, and even then it was on some science fiction or fantasy movie.

"It's time," McGuiness called out.

One moment they were standing outside the stone circle as a beam of light shot down at them, the next they were inside something akin to an airport.

"We're there already?" he asked the guide.

"Yes, we are," the blond smiled.

Dashing away the girls ran off as they sought to get a better view of the immense structure. Wandering off as Negi and Konoka took care of the registration of their luggage Ranma made his way around the gateport.

The views were truly incredible from the terrace, but Haruna couldn't help but wonder just how much better the view would be with Ranma by her side. Spotting the cursed boy she decided that it would be more memorable if she spent it with him then with her best friends.

* * *

"Ranma!"

Turning to see who had called out to him Ranma froze - Akira, Makie, Ako, and Natsumi under Donet McGuiness' guard. Before he could do anything Negi arrived on the scene.

"Maki-san! What are you doing here!"

As the girls tried to explain what was happening Ranma couldn't help but wonder just what else would happen. His experience in the chaos that followed him hinted that something bad was going to happen, just what he didn't know for sure.

It took Negi barking out orders to snap him out of his thoughts. Something was definitely going to happen and Negi apparently wanted to take steps to handle it. "What's up?" he asked as he put a reassuring hand on Negi's shoulder.

"Ranma stay with Makie and the girls. If I'm overreacting then this will just be another funny story for us all to share when we get back home," Negi said as he scanned the area.

Instinct was all that saved Negi as Ranma sensed danger a fraction of a second before he even knew what was going on. Instinct caused him to push Negi out of the way just enough to avoid a lethal hit from the gigantic shard of stone. Instead of hitting him dead center in his chest it pierced the younger boy's right shoulder. Painful, but he would live as long as Konoka could get to him quickly.

Channeling his ki he managed to deflect a bolt of lightning, unfortunately the guardsmen beside the girls had not been able to act as quickly.

"You're definitely a surprise," a young boy stated as he stepped out of a shroud. "If not for you the boy would be dead. From your dress I can tell that you're not a guardsman. And since one of his girls called out to you before, I can only assume you're somehow connected to the boy. A wild card then - this could be fun."

Behind the boy three more figures emerged as several of the White Wing's fighters arrived.

Tossing Negi roughly to Asuna he turned back to the four mysterious figures.

"Take care of him and get the girls out of here."

"What? No!" the redhead protested.

"Get your weapons first! I'll buy you some time."

"You think you're good enough to take us on?" the white haired boy asked in an amused tone. "Let's see just how good this wild card really is."

"Are you just crazy or do you like beating up on kids because you can't take on the big boys?" he taunted.

In a flash they were on him. The white haired boy led with a straight charge while the girl in white circled to his left and the one in black disappeared from his sight. Throwing spinning back handed right he managed to block his third assailant's attack. Kicking back he knocked her off her feet and winded her. Grabbing her wrist he used her to shield him from their attacks as he completed the turn and faced them.

Wrenching the girl's arm behind her back he pushed her over the ledge at the girl in white as the boy moved cautiously towards him. Throwing a ball of ki at the boy he stepped into the swordswoman's charge. Blocking her long sword with his right he slipped just past the range of her shorter sword. Reading her attacks and adjusting to match her speed he caught her blades in his hands as he once again jumped into her attack. Twisting with the momentum he kicked her hard in the stomach with both feet as he spread his arms wide. Pushing off of her he tried to spring into a crouch when a sudden punch to the side of his head sent him tumbling before finally landing hard on the concrete floor.

Dazed Ranma jumped to his feet. Landing he could feel his knees buckling as the kid charged him. Just as he realized he couldn't dodge the attack the boy abruptly pulled back. The flash light explained why as a still bleeding Negi stood before him.

"Why are you following us?" he demanded.

Hands in his pocket, the boy chuckled as his companions stood behind him. "Following you? Don't be absurd. Meeting you here was a complete coincidence."

"Coincidence?" he said disbelievingly.

"It seems that the humans of your academy have taken extensive care in supervising your safety and any other information about you. Even I did not know where you were, let alone that you were coming here. That such circumstances would present themselves is truly ironic."

"Then what are you doing here?" Negi asked. Though he had apparently gotten over the shock from the wound in his shoulder he had managed to get back to his feet.

Something didn't make sense in Ranma's addled mind. Negi wasn't bleeding despite his wound.

"Our objective is this place," the white haired youth said calmly. "You all are completely unrelated. We just couldn't have you calling for any re-enforcements. Right now this place is completely isolated from the rest of the world."

Shaking the last of the cobwebs out of his head Ranma put his hand on Negi's shoulder. "Go, get healed. I'll hold them off."

"The boy is completely worthless to me, as are the rest of them. Killing them would mean nothing to me, but I can't leave them around, they might get in my way later on. You on the other hand – as much fun as I would have fighting against someone of your caliber I just don't have the time right now." Smiling he paused as he raised his hand to caress his chin thoughtfully. "Well, I do have enough time to let you catch your breath. After all, I'll have to use my Eternal Petrificaction on you. That will not leave me with enough time to truly enjoy fighting you."

Borrowing Takamichi's Iaiken technique Ranma unloaded several barrages at the arrogant punk before him. Though the attacks failed to connect it did succeed in leaving the boy open for Ranma's follow up attack as he landed over a hundred quick but powerful punches to the boy's ribs. Withstanding the attack the boy responded with a stiff knee to Ranma's face. Separating, the two landed, though both winced as they felt the effects of the exchange.

Seizing the opportunity to strike Negi followed Ranma's attack with a left hook to that connected with Fate's chin but felt his attempt to knee his opponent in the gut was blocked. Still, he had managed to push Fate back.

Grabbing Negi by the collar Ranma pulled the younger boy back as he rolled onto his back and flipped him out of harm's way as the white clad girl landed right where Negi had been a fraction of a second before. Rolling to his feet Ranma again assumed a guarded stance as he eyed his three opponents.

"Honestly, you'll die you know," Fate claimed as he cracked his neck. "You can only go so far with natural ability. Without magic what can you do against us? What can they do without their weapons and staff?"

"Negi!" Asuna cried out as she broke open the box containing their weapons.

"I'll hold them off," Ranma repeated as he shifted stances. He could tell that his opponents were getting serious. Before he had managed to get away with gauging how tough they were, but now he needed to get serious as well. No more holding back.

"Take care of the others," Fate commanded as he walked towards Ranma.

"Heal Negi," Asuna ordered Konoka as she handed her friend her artifact.

Readying himself for the next attack Ranma abruptly found nothing before him. Realizing Fate's true plan he turned in time to see his opponent appearing suddenly between the Asuna and Konoka. Batting Asuna to the side with a smirk he charged up for another attack. "That's so rude princess."

"Konoka!" Ku Fei shouted as she tried to move to her classmate's defense.

Charging the white haired boy Ranma knew that he wouldn't be able to make it, even if the black robed girl were to relent and let him pass. Channeling his ki he noted that it was a deep red. Taking a cut to the arm as he unleashed the burning ball of ki into the girl's stomach he watched helplessly as Fate also unleashed his attack on the defenseless Konoka.

Emerging from the swirling vortex of energy stood Setsuna with her wings spread. Though battered she stood her ground as the uninjured Konoka knelt at her feet. "Don't lay one finger on Ojou-sama!" the swordswoman declared. Attacking furiously she managed to push Fate back. Charging him she landed a vicious slash, cutting the boy in two.

Fooling her with his phantom Fate again prepared to attack the defenseless Konoka as she approached the wounded Negi. Emerging seemingly from out of nowhere he was once again thwarted in his attempt to attack the group's healer as Ku Fei anticipated his deception and connected with a solid ki charged attack.

Kicking his opponent in the face Ranma knew that the Chinese martial artist's attack was not enough to put the dangerous Fate down. The mysterious boy had managed to endure several exchanges with Ranma and Negi; there was no way that her hit, as impressive as it looked, had taken him out of the fight.

Suddenly Ranma's vision began to blur. Shaking his head he tried to work through it. Landing a hard elbow to the girl's sternum he felt her blade cut his back. The warm, sticky feeling of his blood flowing freely down his back suggested that the cut had been deep. With his adrenaline level so high it was near impossible for him to feel pain, but he knew that if this kept up he wouldn't be able to last too much longer. He could already tell that he was getting light headed and his vision was starting to blur.

Decking the Chinese girl hard, Fate managed to evade the trap the ninja girl had left for him. Retreating slightly he spotted the weakened Ranma. Trading opponents he readied his spell.

Sensing the black shadow retreat Ranma tried to get a better bearing on the fight. Suddenly he felt his rib crack as he slammed hard against the wall. Coughing up blood he knew that his lung had been punctured by his broken rib. Shock slowly starting to set in he looked up as Fate readied a spell. The blinding light sped towards him. At the last second something hit him, though not a hard hit like Fate's punch, something larger but with less force, knocking him off to the side. Rolling with the momentum he bounced off the railing and launched a swift jump kick at Fate. Feeling his kick blocked Ranma suddenly felt the world spinning as he was thrown against the wall.

Hearing Kaede's kunai striking stone he knew that the ninja girl had tagged in against Fate. Coughing up some blood Ranma managed to clear his vision enough to see what had saved him from Fate's spell. "Thanks Haruna," he said as he grabbed her hand and pulled himself up. Feeling her cold hand in his it took him a moment to realize what had happened. Staring at her petrified face Ranma found his voice fail him.

_I failed_, he though. _I failed them all. I failed you_.

Despair, rage, and hatred flared up in him as he snapped. Charging blindly ahead he could barely make out the blurs that were his opponents. Relying on the feel of their auras he charged ahead heedless of the consequences.

"What are you going to do to me in that state?" Fate asked mockingly as he laid out Negi. "Besides, it's already too late – we've finished our objective."

Leaping into the air Fate looked back at Negi as several large pillars of stone appeared. "Well, that's it."

But it wasn't as Ranma suddenly appeared before the airborne boy and connected with a thundering punch. Smashing into the ground Fate found himself in a small crater. At the last second Fate caught Ranma's foot as the martial artist attempted to stomp him in into the ground.

"Shishihokodan!" Ranma shouted as a green aura of ki manifested around him.

Negi and the others watched as the large ball of ki shot into the air and collided with several pillars before being pressed back. Crashing down with the pillars of stone the ball exploded as it hit Ranma and Fate.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Notes

Disclaimers were back at the start of the fic, but just in case you missed it –

I do not own either Negima or Ranma ½. If I did I would actually have something worth suing over.

Thanks to everyone who have read and reviewed.

That last chapter was a real challenge. While I'm trying to stick to canon as much as possible, I am going to go slightly AU, but then again, what fic doesn't?

Thanks to my Betas KitsuneOverlord and Teturo.

I hope everyone continues to enjoy the fic. Please, read and Review.

* * *

The scent of blood hung heavily in the evening air. Sniffing the air the hunter could tell that it was fresh. Not hearing the telltale signs of one of the larger predators he knew that they had not killed tonight. Staying downwind of the scent it continued to follow the trail. Approaching the outcrop of stones the hunters noted the strange arrangement. Cautiously he circled around checking for traps. Finding none he leapt onto the tallest boulder as he continued to scout the area.

Making his way to the center of the crater the hunter saw the source of the blood – a young girl lay in a shallow pool of what appeared to be her own blood. Crouching beside the still form he could tell that she was still alive, though just barely. Running his finger over the pool of blood he tasted her flavor. Grabbing her by her shirt he lifted her up and inspected her. Cleaning her wounds as best he could he licked them repeatedly until they closed. Setting her down he pulled a vial out of his pack to collect more of her pooled blood.

Picking up the girl he rushed back to camp as quickly as he could without seriously jostling the unconscious girl. Checking her injuries again he licked the few scrapes that she had, savoring the taste of her blood. Sensing his companion the hunter straightened up.

"Virgin blood," the hunter stated as he pulled the vial of blood out of his pouch. Twirling it around so that the blood swirled against the side of the vial he tossed it to his large companion. "But there's something about it – tastes like a curse."

Looking up at his companion the hunter shrugged, "No, I didn't check to see if she had any artifacts or weapons on her." Walking over he examined her again. "She's got a pactio card. Her name's Ranma Saotome." Pausing he looked at the card again. "Is it me, or is this a guy on the picture?"

Tossing the card to his companion he dexterously caught the vial of blood. "Yeah, I'll run some blood work. It might take a while though. She's suffering from severe blood loss. I had to take a sample from the pool of blood she was laying in. Honestly, I don't think she'll survive the night."

Walking over the silent giant examined the unconscious girl's body. Spotting the wounds he noticed how the hunter had licked the wounds, encouraging them to close with his vampire saliva. Even with the enhanced healing that the vampire had provided by licking her wounds he knew with any structural damage to her, the muscles and bones wouldn't heal properly.

Shooting his companion a glance, demon pleaded the girl's case.

"My blood doesn't come cheaply," the vampire replied.

* * *

He was hungry. He wasn't sure why, but he needed to eat. Opening his mouth he tried to get rid of the metallic taste in his mouth. Rolling out of the mattress he managed to land on his feet and knees. Standing up he could tell that his clothes were just a bit loose; he was probably in his girl form. Opening his eyes he could see that he was in a cave. Though there was no light, he could see well enough to get to the entrance. Smelling blood, his stomach growled.

Pulling himself to his feet he managed to shuffle forward along the wall. Coaxing his one foot forward, then the other, he was only several feet way from the entrance when he realized something was approaching him.

"Good morning Ranma" the shorter figure said. "I suppose you're hungry."

Not sure how the stranger knew his name, Ranma couldn't convince his mouth to get out the words.

Ripping a bloody section off of the carcass of his kill he handed it to Ranma. "Eat all of it and I'll explain what I know."

Sitting down Ranma ripped into the raw meat. Savoring each bite he felt invigorated with each mouthful that he consumed.

"So you're saying," Ranma started as he began to piece things together.

"Finish eating before you start talking," the vampire ordered as he saw Ranma spitting out chunks of meat and blood.

Nodding, Ranma swallowed the mouthful of bloody meat. "You're saying that to save my life, you gave me a transfusion of your blood?" The vampire nodded. "And because of that I'm a half-vampire?"

"Not completely. Since you never died you can't become a full vampire; you were merely close to death, not actually dead. But because you consumed so much vampire blood your body will crave blood for a while."

Looking at his crimson hands, Ranma wiped his mouth. "That's why you gave me raw meat."

"Not just raw, but from a recently killed animal. You'll probably be eating a lot of raw food for a few days, maybe a week."

Nodding his understanding, Ranma didn't see why the vampire was making such a big deal about what they'd done to him. "Basically, you saved my life. I'm cool with that."

Chuckling, the vampire gazed at Ranma. "I saved your life, so now your life is mine until I decide that you've repaid your debt to me."

Ranma didn't like the sound of that. He had to find Negi and the girls - he didn't have time to pay off a debt to the vampire. But a debt was a debt, even if he had not agreed to it before it had happened.

"On the upside, you should finish your debt to me before the side-effects of the blood transfusion wear off. As you might realize, having vampire blood pumping through your body gives you some of the benefits of my kind; enhanced speed, strength, endurance, and heightened senses - all the benefits with none of the drawbacks."

_Maybe this isn't so bad_, he thought as he recalled how he had been injured in the first place. "So, what do I need to do to pay back my debt to you?"

"You have to kill me."

* * *

"Magic and ki generally don't mix well," the vampire had explained. "Yours will be even harder because of your ki is very chaotic and disruptive; which probably explains why your curse is so active. Triggered curses aren't unusual; ask any werewolf. But to be triggered by water, that is different. From what you've told me it sounds like only stronger magic would remove your curse. That Taro boy is a prime example of that; he's the product of several different water curses combined."

Thinking back, Ranma wondered why he hadn't made that connection. The Spring of Drowned Man wasn't the cure that he had needed.

"Right now you're able to channel ki into one hand and magic into the other," the vampire lectured. "You need to combine the two. From what it sounds like even that girl you trained with is capable of doing it, and your little friend too. I'll give you an hour to recover before we start training again."

Disappearing in a flash the vampire left Ranma lying in the crater. Crawling out of the hole and onto his feet Ranma could count the number of times that he had felt this much pain on one hand. The right after the fight with Saffron, and right after defeating Ryoga and the Shishihokodan; both of those had been serious fights. This was just training. His new sensei's approach to training was definitely different from anything that Ranma was used to. After teaching him the basics of how to channel his ki and magical energies, the vampire had left him with the task of figuring out how to balance the two opposing forces himself.

Unfortunately Lynx would only give him a few minutes to practice the techniques before being thrown into a pitched battle. Ranma learned quickly that he couldn't hold back against the vampire or his demon armor companion. He had to go all out while trying to figure out the technique and when to use it while trying to fend off his opponent.

The vampire definitely belonged in the school of "if it doesn't kill you, it'll make you stronger" as the fights ended only when Ranma was completely beaten and unable to continue. With his enhanced healing and regeneration Ranma found that he was completely healed after just a few hours and eating a good portion of some raw meat. After only a few days he was finally managing to digest cooked steak, though it was very raw inside.

Sensing the vampire's silent approach Ranma quickly jumped to his feet as he prepared for another fight. Seeing his mentor's stance he knew that they weren't going to be fighting.

"We've got a job," Lynx stated. Grabbing a few pouches the vampire tied them onto his belt before setting off.

Following his vampiric mentor Ranma struggled to keep up with the crafty hunter. "The prey's level A, I want to see how you fare against him."

Nodding Ranma knew that he couldn't take the target lightly. Slowly the forest gave way to rolling hills. In the distance Ranma could see several small buildings as they approached a small settlement.

"Don't play around like you usually do," Lynx instructed. "The target's a lich. He's probably got some zombies or lakni with him."

"Lakni?"

"They're undead; kinda like zombies but much tougher and meaner. They have atrophied legs so they primarily use their arms, but can extend their arms. Lakni is the plural, laknes is the singular." While the ancient was a fountain of knowledge and information, he sometimes didn't know when to shut up. Then again, he probably felt the need to make up for his silent companion.

"Undead, right," he said as he planned his strategy. _Undead are weak against fire, sever the head or crush the brain._

"Don't hold back," Lynx repeated. Coming to a dead stop the vampire turned to inspect the settlement. "Don't worry about the minions, Nasham and I will take the perimeter to keep them from escaping. Don't destroy the prey's body; he's got an important artifact that we need to recover."

Catching up to his mentor Ranma kept running as he proceeded to the settlement. Leaping from rooftop to rooftop he could saw the carnage that the rampaging laknes had wrought on the quiet hamlet. The scent of blood was unavoidable as it was smeared everywhere. It was fresh, very fresh. Unable to tell if the blood was from the animals or their humanoid owners, Ranma hoped that it was the former rather then the latter.

Hearing the cries Ranma rushed towards them. The closer he came to the center of the settlement the stronger the stench of death and decay. Spotting the target he ran several battle scenarios in his mind as he jumped into the commons.

Drawing the undead creatures' attention he barreled through them. Lashing out at their outstretched arms he infused them with his chaotic ki. Unable to set up magical or ki barriers the creatures relied on brute force. Completely defenseless against the technique they cried out in pain as their arms blew up or started on fire depending on what hand he hit them with. _Magical fire with one hand, disruptive ki with the other; now if only I could merge the two_, he thought as he continued his onslaught.

Enraged by the pain they undead began to attack with a panicked frenzy. Despite their low intelligence the lakni were starting to realize that the more they attacked the slippery opponent the more he hurt them. Sensing the futility of fighting against their speedy opponent the lakni began to flee.

Without the lakni to occupy him Ranma knew that the lich was completely exposed. Spotting the undead ringleader he slowed down as he charged in. The eight armed monstrosity proved to be much more difficult than its mindless underlings. Though not as fast as Ranma his extra appendages allowed him to deflect Ranma's attacks while also allowing him to use glyphs and cast minor spells. Unlike the witless lakni the lich had set up magical barriers, severely dampening the effect of his ki and magic discharges.

Retreating he channeled his ki into his left hand and magic into his right he threw the balls of energy. Aiming not for the lich but for a spot about a foot outside of the lich's considerable reach, he intended for the balls to react to each other once they collided. Pausing for a fraction of a second he rushed in after the balls as he charged up for another attack. Merging together the opposing energies began to react. The resulting blast managed to hit the lich despite his barriers. Stunned but not damaged the lich quickly began to replace his wards and barriers.

Before the lich could complete his wards Ranma slammed his palms against the lich's ears. Grabbing hold he twisted his body. Hearing the sickening feeling his opponent's neck snapping he discharged his ki and magical energy from their respective hands.

Planting his feet against the lich's spine he kicked hard as he pushed away from his undead opponent. Landing on his feet he watched as the lich's head exploded in a burst of flame and then fell over. Walking over he stomped on the burning head, crushing the brain and breaking the last bond connecting the undead to this world.

* * *

Having spent so much of her time in the pool Akira considered herself to be a water person. Sand didn't bother too much, as long as it was at a beach. But this much sand was just wrong, especially when there was no water in sight. Huffing in protest of the oppressive heat she decided that she definitely hated deserts.

"Negi-sensei…" Ako moaned.

"Let's take a break," Akira stated. Beside her Natsumi nodded. Turning so that her back was to Natsumi she slowly lowered Ako onto a cloak. Kneeling down she gently caressed Ako's forehead. It was hot, much too hot.

After several minutes of silence she glanced at her freckled companion. Crouching she let the redhead set Ako on her back. Piggybacking the sick girl, she made sure that Ako was secured tightly before setting off.

* * *

Sniffing at the cold desert wind Ranma was glad that to be done with the last job. Despite having a cleansing charm put on him several times he could still smell the rotted and decaying flesh from the undead opponents he'd fought last night.

"The rogue lich had managed to take out several small caravans and two small settlements beside the one we found him in," Lynx explained as he handed Ranma his share. "The death toll is relatively small, but given time he probably would have dared to attack even a fortified city like this one."

"Then why did they wait this long to put a bounty on him?" Ranma asked.

"The bounty was placed on him because he'd stolen several valuable artifacts. No one knew that he had been involved with the raids until we'd caught up to him."

Ranma glanced at Nasham. Despite his silence the armor demon somehow managed to communicate with the vampire. "You mind letting me in on this?"

"It's not unusual for the undead to rampage in this region," the vampire explained. Most caravans and travelers hire muscle to protect them from vagabonds and the wild animals. Most people tend to label the lesser undead like zombies and lakni under the 'wild animals' category for some reason. There was no reason to suspect that one of the greater undead or even a necromancer was controlling them since none of the clues to suggested that."

Catching a familiar scent in the cold night breeze Ranma suddenly turned around.

"You see something?" Lynx asked.

"Smelled," Ranma replied. Sniffing the night air he leapt off the rampart.

"You're on your own for this one!" the vampire shouted. "It's almost morning!"

Glancing at the armor demon Lynx shrugged. "It's only the desert. He can handle anything that's close to the city."

Two kilometers out he spotted the source of the scent. Spurred on he ran harder.

"What a find!" the beast man shouted to his companions.

"Get away from us," Akira yelled as she backed away from the strangers.

"Akira," Natsumi muttered as six of the slavers encircled them.

Slowly the seven slavers closed the circle. "Yell all you want honey, there's no one but us out here," the tallest of the slavers said as he pulled out a net.

"Hey! Are you losers only capable of picking on some girls when there's seven of you?"

_I have to be dreaming_, Akira thought as she fought to retain her composure. _I saw him die_.

"Ranma!" Natsumi shouted as she saw the pig tailed boy approaching them.

"They're slavers! Ako's sick and they're trying to enslave us!"

"There's only one of him!" the apparent boss ordered.

Dodging a thrown spear Ranma sprang into the air. Blasting the net, which one of the slavers threw at him, he landed hard on the face of the spear thrower. Kicking off he vaulted over a wild swing from a pike welding slaver. Grabbing his attacker's shoulders he twisted in mid-air. Using the change in momentum he launched the slaver at the boss.

Seeing three of their number floored by the mysterious fighter the four remaining slavers reconsidered their options.

Watching as Ranma made sure that the slavers weren't a threat anymore and as he came over to them, Akira fought back the tears. Regardless of her feelings of relief at seeing Ranma alive and well, for being rescued from the desert and the slavers, she knew that it wasn't over yet. Ako was still needed more.

"Hold on," he commanded as he crouched down so that Akira and Natsumi could climb on his back piggy back style. Carrying the three girls he ran back to the city as fast as he could without jostling them.

"That's quite the catch," Lynx said as he ran beside him, matching him stride for stride.

Natsumi screamed as the imposing Nasham appeared before them and Ranma slowed to a halt.

"They're friends of mine," Ranma explained. Letting the girls off he walked over to the vampire. "She's got a fever."

"May I?" the vampire asked as he pulled out a needle.

Akira watched as the shorter man poked Ako's finger and pressed it until a single drop of blood appeared. Inserting her finger into his mouth the strange man sucked on it for a few seconds before letting go.

"Poison," he stated, "probably a baby scorpion. We should be able to get some anti-venom back in town. It won't be cheap."

* * *

While the jungle had proven to be interesting, it was far from being an enjoyable experience. Definitely not something he'd write home about. Then again, that would have been Chisame's job – posting daily blogs about their (mis)adventures in the magic country. Following her scent for the past two days he was encouraged by the strength of the scent. He was definitely getting closer.

"I'm worthless!" a familiar voice cried out. Smirking Kotaro broke into a dead sprint. "If I just had more power, I'd definitely beat him next time! I want to become stronger!"

While Negi was prone to be a self-loathing fool, the dog demon could tell that his rival was suffering for excess magical energy. Obviously he had not managed to burn off the energies that Konoka had infused into him when she had healed him.

"I don't need rescuing," Kotaro said with a smile as he tapped Negi on the shoulder.

"Kota…?"

"Hey," he said with a smile before he laid out Negi.

"Kotaro!" Negi cried out as he realized who had hit him.

"I can't believe that I misjudged you this badly," the hanyo stated. "I've gotten really tired of you getting bent out of shape over your past! Is worrying your hobby or what? They call you a child prodigy or whatever, but Aren't. You. Really. Just. An. Idiot?"

Chuckling he paused to catch his breath and to let his words sink into Negi's mind. "Heh, what I heard you say just now, 'If I only had power' right? Wrong moron! The way you are now, even if you had all the power you could get, there's no way you'd catch your father, the Thousand Master!"

"Wha-?"

"Not even Fate," Kotaro declared. "Probably not even Asuna! You don't even know what you're missing now. And so you go the living shit kicked out of you by Fate!"

Negi stood up defiantly.

"Oh? Did I hit the mark?" the demon asked. Changing his stance he got ready to throw down with his rival. "Well if I did, what are you going to do about it?"

"Kotaro!" Chisame shouted as she tried to stop him. "He's got a really high fever…"

"Man, you are really annoying!" he taunted Negi, heedless of Chisame's concern. "I'm so pissed I don't even have the energy to hit you!"

Smirking he unleashed his Wolf's Rapid Air Fang attack at Negi.

Unsurprisingly Negi dodged and then countered with three arrows of thunder.

"That's pretty shoddy!" Brushing off the weak attack Kotaro continued to taunt his opponent, "Hit me with something bigger!"

Closing in he unleashed another barrage, this time forcing Negi to close with him. "That's not good enough!" Connecting with a solid right cross Negi countered with an overhand left. "That's what Asuna-neechan has!" Pushing Negi back with an uppercut he declared, "If you beat me, I'll tell you what it is!"

Dodging his overhand right, Negi rolled to his feet and countered with a straight thrust punch. Feeling the old Negi returning Kotaro stood his ground as he traded unrelenting blows with his rival. Forcing Negi back with a staggering hit Kotaro gave his opponent a second to prepare his counter attack. Charging in as Kotaro and Negi traded charged up punches – dog spirits vs. light magic. After several exchanges they were both huffing for air and leaning against each other as they fought to stay upright.

"I landed twelve deciding blows more then you," Negi proclaimed as he stood up.

"Moron! None of 'em worked!" Shaking his head Kotaro conceded defeat. "Well, you were battered and pathetic before from your fever." Pausing a few seconds he gave Negi time to process the information. "Your mood seems to have lightened up, and I bet your fever's broke too, right?"

"Your right! Why?"

"You had a lot of excess magical energies swirling around inside of you after Konoka had healed you. She probably didn't realize that she poured so much power into you. The method of recovery is simple – you just needed to release the energy."(I think Kotaro mentioned something about it being an eastern magic thing around this point in the manga.)

Looking at the girls Kotaro smiled as he waved at them. "Hey, sorry about that, Chisame-neechan, Chachamaru-neechan. I didn't mean to worry you."

"Oh, Kotaro," Negi said thoughtfully, "what was that before, that thing that I don't have?"

"Geeze, I guess I have no choice," the demon said as he hoped evade the question. "That thing that Asuna has that you don't – it's hard to put into words actually, you know?"

"Kotaro!"

Grinning, Kotaro could see that Negi wasn't buying his delay tactic. Relenting he said, "If I had to put it into one word – Idiocy."

* * *

Though they had been rescued from the scorching desert and black market slave traders the swimmer couldn't relax, even after a relaxing bath in the spacious pool that Ranma had managed to create for them. Toweling off she quickly donned the outfit that the vampire had provided her before making her way back to the cave.

Spotting the pigtailed boy just inside the entrance she smiled at him as she walked by him. Seeing that Natsumi and Ako were sleeping peacefully on the straw mattress Akira decided not to disturb them. While she was grateful to be out of the blazing desert sun, the deep earthen cave was too chilly for her tastes.

"No, no!" Ranma muttered.

Turning back to the martial artist Akira crept over to the sleeping boy.

"No, Haruna."

Feeling her heart dropping into the pit of her stomach Akira cautiously pulled away. _I didn't realize he cared that much about her_. _He must really miss her_. Suddenly the pigtailed boy sprang to his feet, hitting his head against the hard stone ceiling. Cringing in sympathy she momentarily forgot about the twisted knot in her stomach.

"Oh, sorry if I woke you up," Ranma said as he walked over and took a seat at the table. "Are you hungry? I can go and get something for you to eat."

"You don't have to do that," she replied. Trying to avoid his eyes she began to rub her stiff shoulder. "You already made that pool for us to bathe in. I wouldn't want you to get into anymore trouble with the others."

"Sorry about that," he replied with a shrug. "Lynx doesn't take well to fire; it's an undead thing. But he's fine with water, so he figured it wouldn't hurt."

"Stop apologizing!" she snapped.

"I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing!" she repeated as she covered her ears. She didn't know why, but suddenly her face was wet. Standing up she tried to hide her tears.

"I can't help it," he replied somberly. "If I had been paying attention I would have caught you girls when you followed us to the gateway." Walking over to her he put his hand on her shoulder as she sobbed. "If I hadn't let my guard down Negi wouldn't have been injured. If I hadn't been so weak Haruna wouldn't have died."

Hearing the guilt in his trembling voice she spun around and slapped him. "It's not your fault that we decided to follow you. I should have stopped the others from following. But I couldn't so I decided to follow them so that I could try my best to keep them safe. I refuse to accept responsibility for the things that I can't control."

Staring into his cool blue eyes she dared him to accept his limitations.

"I didn't even know any of you until a few weeks ago," he stated coolly. "I only came to Mahora Academy because I wanted a cure for my curse. I was asked to accompany Negi because someone thought that the trip could be dangerous, and they wanted me around to protect Negi and everyone on the trip. I failed to keep Negi safe. I failed to protect all of you."

Processing everything he had said Akira stumbled for something to say that would calm the fired up fighter. "You did your best, right?"

"Of course I did."

"You did your best and you almost died," she stated. "What do you think would have happened if you hadn't come? Negi would probably have died if you hadn't pulled him out of the way. Who knows how many of us would have died if you didn't come along.

"You've only known us for a few weeks but Negi and Kotaro look up to you, Asuna grudgingly respects you, even Ayaka listens to you. Don't you care that you saved our lives? Did you love Haruna that much?"

Her argument hit him harder then anything even Fate had hit him with. "Um, no," he said, averting his eyes. "She was cool and all, and I liked hanging out with her, but I wasn't in love with her," he said meekly. "I mean, I liked her as much as I like you."

In her wildest dreams Akira had never imagined that Ranma would admit that he felt that way about her in the way that he had. Regardless she was floored by his admission. Though she knew that this was not the time for her to be sidetracked by her feelings for Ranma she couldn't help but feel giddy as she blushed.

Before either of them could say anything they noticed the room suddenly darken as the hulking figure of the armor demon stood in the entrance. Arm extended the towering demon held a squirming figure up by the back of her robe.

Though she knew that the scene would have provided juicy gossip she knew that her entrance had made the awkward scene even more awkward. "Hi guys, could you get me down?" Haruna asked as she waved at her crush and her romantic rival.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Notes

Disclaimers were back at the start of the fic, but just in case you missed it –

I do not own either Negima or Ranma ½. If I did I would actually have something worth suing over.

Thanks to everyone who have read and reviewed.

That last chapter was a real challenge. While I'm trying to stick to canon as much as possible, I am going to go slightly AU, but then again, what fic doesn't?

Special thanks to my Betas KitsuneOverlord and Teturo.

I hope everyone continues to enjoy the fic. Please, read and Review.

* * *

Scanning the document before her Mana tossed it aside as she failed to see anything of relevance. In the days since the Gateport incident no new news regarding Negi and the White Wings had emerged. With the main communications networks compromised or in disarray she had been unable to contact her usual informants.

Turning to Takahata she shook her head as her former homeroom teacher reviewed the surveillance images of the fight between the members of Ala Alba and the mysterious group lead by the white haired boy. Hearing her former sensei chuckle she eyed the screen. Blinking, she realized that she was watching the same footage as she had seen days ago when they had first retrieved the footage.

"I can't believe that he managed to use the Iaiken," Takahata stated as he pointed at the screen.

Rolling her eyes Mana tried to focus on the task at hand. "That doesn't help us at all," she stated as grabbed another flier.

"But it actually does," he countered. "It tells me that Eva was right to insist that he accompany them." Rewinding the footage he played it again. "Look at this – he's using magic. He's trying to use kanka. You were one of the first ones to fight him, you know that he's only relied on ki attacks, but here he's using magic. How fast did he learn most of the techniques that Eva taught him? How long did it take Negi or anyone else to learn the basics of those same techniques? Just think how much stronger he'll be if he continues to improve at this rate. I realize that there aren't many mages in the same league as Eva, but there are many more styles that he could learn and use."

"Aren't you jumping the gun a little?" she asked. Though she understood where he was coming from, it was completely irrelevant if the cursed boy had died or couldn't reunite with the rest of Ala Alba.

"Have some faith," he replied. "I'm sure that things will work out. What we need to do is find them and find out what Fate and his group are up to. I'm sure that Negi and the others will be better prepared for the next round."

* * *

After nearly two hundred years of traveling the world, experiencing and surviving the Great War, and many other misadventures with Nasham, Lynx had thought that he'd seen it all. And then Ranma literally fell from the sky. The cursed boy/girl was a definite surprise. For someone so young he had a ridiculously large ki reserve. With just his ki alone the boy could take on a pair of A Class fighters. After a few days of learning to channel magical energies the boy was already up to taking on AA Class bounties while only working with incomplete kanka abilities. With the boy's incredible learning curve he has now able to hold his own against the vampire for almost an hour before his reserves gave way. Against the armor demon though Ranma could only managed forty minutes. Even as his enhanced abilities started to fade the boy was showing considerable growth. In two, maybe three, days the boy would have to live up to his debt or die trying.

Watching Ranma channel ki and magic, and then infuse those energies into the stone Lynx realized just what had been the problem.

"Stop!" Lynx ordered as Ranma began to pump more energy into the stone. Looking at the baffled look on the boy's face Lynx rushed over to him. "The problem isn't that you can't merge your ki and magic power, it's that your reserves for both are so unbalanced. You're so used to using your ki that when you consciously try and focus it you add too much too it. When you do that then you overpower the magical energies that you're trying to channel."

Seeing that he was still baffled Akira intervened. "Just try to focus only on your magic Ranma."

Nodding in understanding Ranma began to channel the magical energies. Feeling his hands tingling as the magical energies flowed through him. It was definitely different then when he tried to focus both energies. Closing his eyes as he realized the cause for the difference in feeling he shook his head. _I can't believe I didn't realize that sooner! _Touching the rock, he infused it with the energies. Jumping back, Ranma watched as the boulder first imploded, and then erupted in a cloud of dust, leaving a smoking crater in its wake.

Lynx was pleasantly surprised. This boy was definitely going to be someone to watch out for.

* * *

Mana scowled as she packed her things. Despite their best efforts things had taken a turn for the worse. Instead of trying to find out what had happened to Negi and the Ala Alba the government had instead put out bounties on Negi and the rest of the club members.

"I can't believe that they did this!" she shouted as she pulled out a gun and strapped it on.

"Guess we can't rely on the government to help us," Takahata stated.

Standing in the corner with her arms folded Donet looked completely dejected. "I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do."

Chuckling, the scruffy Takahata shook his head, "Don't worry, I've been here before."

* * *

The refreshingly crisp air of the early morning stood in stark contrast to the warm sun on the huntress' skin. Feeling the flow of natural energies around her she sensed the disturbance of magical flow in the surroundings. Signaling her teammates the huntress proceeded towards the target.

Though the bulletin had little information on the target, word among the other bounty hunters was that the target was at least AA class. Licking her lips the huntress was looking forward to testing her mettle against the powerful bounty.

* * *

"So, let me get this straight," Ako said as she tried to straighten out the facts. "Whatever you draw comes to life. You drew a copy of yourself and used it as decoy during the fight at the Gateport, and the copy got petrified. "

"So even though Ranma thought he saw you die, you didn't," Natsumi said as she made the connection.

"So both of you have a thing for Ranma?" Ako asked.

Despite the cool water all around her, Akira could feel her face heating up as she blushed.

"Um, what is Ranma's curse?" Natsumi asked.

"It's a secret." Haruna replied with a knowing grin. Knowing how protective Ranma was of his secret, especially to the 'normal' girls. Despite her normal love of sharing information and spreading rumors she did not want to risk her relationship with Ranma, especially since she knew that she was on even ground with the athletic Akira. "That's something for Ranma to show you," Haruna finally admitted.

Standing guard by the entrance of the caverns Ranma could hear the girls as clearly as if he were standing in the chamber. Distracted, he failed to notice to the huntress and her companions as they settled into the trees along the edge of the clearing. Only the cool morning breeze saved him as it entered the cavern. Tracing magical glyphs on the cold stone beneath him he set off the magical barriers protecting the vampire and armor demon's lair.

Sensing the activation of the magical wards the bounty huntresses sprang into action. With the target outside of the wards it was clear to them that he had misinterpreted their intent. They were here for him, not the demon or the vampire.

Moving out of the entry way Ranma traced a glyph on the ground before kicking the dirt at the foremost huntress. Pebbles grew into boulders as the magic took affect. Leaping from boulder to boulder he watched as the boulder directly in front of him was split in half. Catching the huntress as she was coming out of her striking stance Ranma hit her with a hard uppercut.

Turning he grabbed a boulder and tossed it at the next closest huntress.

Sensing that the lead huntress was out cold he charged the remaining five.

"Airen," he heard a familiar voice.

_No way! Why is she here?_ Turning he watched as a familiar lavender haired girl called out to him. _She always did have a bad sense of timing._

Bashing aside another boulder he shook his head.

"Ranma honey!" Ukyo called out from beside Shampoo.

"Ranma you jerk!" Akane shouted.

As the sunlight illuminated the clearing Ranma blushed as he realized that his three fiancés were completely naked. Diverting his eyes he dropped his guard.

"Hey Ranma!" Haruna and Akira chorused as they called out to get his attention. Glad to have a diversion he turned towards the pair from Mahora. Casting his eyes down to the ground he almost regretted it, almost. The naked girls had been an arm around each other as they sought his attention.

"How dare you cheat on me with these hussies?" Akane screamed as she charged him.

"Ranma honey, what are you doing with those girls?" Ukyo cried out as she mirrored the uncute fiancé.

Though part of his mind told him that he deserved to get hit, another part of him started to rationalize what he was seeing. _Akane would never charge me completely naked. And Shampoo would be taking out Akane or Ukyo by now_.

Rational overpowered conditioning as he easily dodged the charging duo. Trying to ignore the fact that they were completely naked he followed their movements. _That's not right, Akane was never that fast, and where's her mallet? They're both unarmed._

Dodging their combined attack he slipped behind them. Landing several light chops to the back of their head he sent them rolling across the clearing.

Closing with Shampoo Ranma averted his eyes to avoid seeing more then he should. Parry, block, block, dodge, and then grab, he pulled Shampoo into a throw. Sending her into a small puddle he waited for her to change.

I knew it, I knew it. Rushing in Ranma hit the fake shampoo with a hard double palm strike. Unleashing ki with one hand and magic with the other. Feeling the two opposing forces coursing through him he rushed the fake Akane and Ukyo.

"Cat!" he shouted as he spotted the lead huntress. Taking offense at his remark, the cat woman charged him. Freaking out Ranma broke into a panicked run as he sought to avoid the source of his torment.

"I have you now!" the huntress declared as she caught up to her bounty.

Unable to face his worst fears Ranma passed out.

"He wasn't so tough!" the huntress shouted victoriously. "Complete victory for us girls!" Raising her hands she turned her back to her target as her companions moved to bind the unconscious bounty.

Hearing the ferial growl she quickly turned around. Down on all fours, the target had taken an offensive stance, though an unusual one at that. In the blink of an eye two of her companions went down as the boy passed by them.

Nasham watched the bizarre fight. Ranma had started with the advantage, even managing to knock out the leader of the Scarlet Vixens. Then the fight had turned when he had become ensnarled in the succubae's trap. It had gotten worse for some reason when Ranma had faced Scarlet again as he started running around in circles until he finally passed out. Thinking that the fight was over the armor demon had been about to intervene when Ranma hard rejoined the fight.

No, it wasn't a fight, it was a bloody massacre. From his own experience Nasham knew that the succubae in the Scarlet Vixens were each strong enough to go toe-to-toe with Lynx even though they tended employ less then desirable tactics. As bounty hunters the team was very formidable, on par with the armor demon and vampire. Yet Ranma had literally shredded them in the blink of an eye. Ranma's berserker side was truly frightening.

Sensing no more enemies feral Ranma charged at the closest thing he sensed. Bracing for the berserker's attack Nasham knew that he would be able to endure the initial exchange. Readying his counter attack he knew that he would have to deal with his familiar afterwards.

Bounding up the path Ranma landed lightly at the hulking Nasham's feet. Rubbing his arched back against the armor demon's shins Ranma purred. Feeling no killing intent from his familiar's apprentice, Nasham grabbed him by the back of his shirt. Walking over to the clearing he assessed the situation.

"Nash…. Please..."

Spotting the remains of one of the succubae sisters the armor demon began the ritual of binding. Though it was difficult to kill a demon, even a lesser demon like the succubae; even demons feared death.

"I WILL BIND YOU IF YOU SO CHOOSE," the armor demon stated in his booming voice. "BUT I BIND YOU TO THE BOY, NOT TO MYSELF."

"Yes," one of the sisters replied.

* * *

Surrounded by darkness Ranma tried to get his bearings. Closing his eyes he focused his senses and found nothing. No breathing, no heartbeat, no magical energies; nothing. Opening his eyes he could make out a light fog.

"Ranma," a familiar voice called out. Turning around he realized that the voice came from nowhere and yet from everywhere. "Ranma."

"Nekane?" Slowly the young woman materialized in the mist.

"Ranma, why haven't you tried to contact me?"

"Nekane," stammering, he didn't know what to say. "There's something I have to tell you."

"Something happened," she replied, cutting him off. "Is Negi alright?"

"Yeah, he was fine the last time I saw him." Taking her ghostly hand in his Ranma tried to explain to her everything that had happened since they had left for the Gateport.

* * *

Ranma woke with a start, which seemed to happen a lot since he had arrived in the magical world. Sitting up he scanned the room. "What?" he asked as he saw that the girls had been staring at him. Feeling his pactio card fall into his lap he realized what the girls had been staring at. "Oh."

"What was that?" Natsumi asked.

_Leave it to the non-magical girl to ask about the magical artifact_. "Well, it's called a pactio," Lynx explained. "It's the physical manifestation of a magical contract between a mage and their partner. The mage bestows additional powers to the partner so that the partner can protect the mage in battle as they fight side by side. It also lets them communicate with each other over extended distances, depending on how powerful the mage is. Pactio are usually sealed with a kiss."

Waiting for the girls to absorb the information Ranma stood up and faced the firing squad. "Who'd you kiss?" Ako asked.

"Nekane."

"Negi's cousin?" Ako muttered in disbelief.

"You like older women?" Natsumi asked.

"Yes, and no," he replied. "It was only a kiss – it didn't mean anything." _She's cute and all, but she's not my type_, he rationalized but didn't say out loud. "She wanted a way to keep tabs on Negi. And it was a way for me to add magical attacks to my arsenal."

"We need to talk," Lynx stated as he entered the chamber. "What do you remember of your fight?"

"I started out casting a stone glyph at them," he started as he thought back to the fight. "I had the first one beat then the others… They looked like my…" glancing at the girls, he wasn't sure he wanted to say it in front of them. "They looked like my fiancés; except they were all naked." Blushing, Ranma averted his eyes as his mind started to mentally undress Akira and Haruna.

"Fiancés?" Akira asked in disbelief. "How many do you have?"

"Three that I know of," he replied.

"There were five of them, who else did you see?" Lynx asked as he tried to keep Ranma on track.

"Akira and Haruna," he answered quietly. Stealing a quick glance at the two he could tell that they were blushing. Turning away he tried to fight the urge to mentally undress them again.

"And that's when you eased up on them?"

"Well, they're girls, and they were naked!"

Lynx rolled his eyes. Despite his prowess as a martial artist, the boy could be reduced to an idiot when around women. "And then what?"

Blushing, Ranma stalled. Hearing Nasham tapping his gauntleted fingers against his breastplate he knew that he had to answer. "I beat them up. Then the leader jumped back in."

"She's a cat woman," Lynx explained as Ranma jumped at the mere mention of the word. "You're afraid of cats?"

Nodding, Ranma closed his eyes as he tried to recall what happened. "I must have blanked out. I probably went c-c-cat on them."

"You did," the vampire replied. "I guess I was a bit too effective in my training – you were merciless against them. You went at them with lethal intent. At least you stopped when you knew they couldn't fight anymore."

Feeling his stomach twisting into knots, Ranma nearly puked. _I killed someone. I killed those girls_.

"Nasham managed to save the succubae," Lynx explained. "Sort of."

Looking up at the duo Ranma failed to follow the turn in the conversation.

"When demons are mortally wounded they sometimes offer themselves to their killer."

"Offer themselves?" he asked as he tried to understand.

"Demons don't have an afterlife like mortals do. Though they are nearly immortal, they can die. Rather then dying they offer their power to their killer," Lynx explained. "Basically you have some of their powers. With training you could master some of their abilities and skills."

"But aren't succubae female demons that specialize in seducing women?" Haruna asked.

Handing Ranma a cup of cold water, the vampire took a step back. Sighing, Ranma splashed himself with the water. Seeing their shocked faces Ranma sighed.

"Look in the mirror," Lynx commanded.

Following his mentor's orders Ranma noticed the changes. Where he was once petite but curvy he was now much taller - almost as tall as his boy form, and had a much fuller figure.

"It'll take some time, but you should be able to alter your appearance when you're in your girl form. Changing your appearance to better seduce men," the vampire explained. "Aside from that, you'll find that your magic reserves are much larger now. You probably have a good degree of telepathy now too, which in the case of your pactio, gives you a longer range so that you can communicate with her. You can probably read surface thoughts or emotions too."

Looking at his reflection Ranma tried to process all that the vampire had explained to him. "With training you can probably do that in your guy form too."

_You can seduce me anytime! _

Glancing at Haruna, Ranma realized that he had read her thoughts. Catching on to the realization Haruna quickly averted her eyes.

_Ranma doesn't have to change anything, he's perfect already_.

Glancing at Akira, he saw her blush as she also averted her eyes. _I don't think I need to train to get into people's minds; it's staying out of them that was the problem._

* * *

Chisame wasn't sure what to make of the magic world. Though she knew that they relied on magic they also employed advanced machines. She still couldn't help but reflexively jump every time one of the whale-sized airships cast a shadow over her. Having been chased by weird octopus-like creatures that devoured her clothes and various griffons and magical creatures, she had more then enough experience running from the menacing creatures. Pulling her cloak around her, she stifled an involuntary shudder at the recollection of the pseudo-octopus creature.

Barely listening to the boys as they laid out plans regarding contacting Donet back in Megalomesembria she caught the tale end of the news broadcast. Signaling to Chachamaru, the internet pop-idol hoped that no one would look too closely at them. Pulling up her hood she watched as Kotaro wrestled an outraged Negi as the dog demon tried to keep others from realizing just who they were.

"I didn't do that!" Negi hissed under his breath as the TV showed an image of him smashing the central stones at the Gateport. Seeing an image of Kotaro smashing one of the balconies he looked at his rival.

"Okay, I did do that," Kotaro admitted. "But only because Fate tripped me and sent me headlong into the floor."

"I know; it's obviously a forgery!" Chisame whispered, referring to the footage of Negi.

"Who would do such a thing?" Negi responded, flabbergasted.

"Obviously Fate and his group," the dog replied.

"We need to get out of here before anyone notices us," Chisame stated.

"It would be unwise to contact any authorities given our status as outlaws," Chachamaru agreed.

Shaking his head Negi held firm, "Did you forget? The response from the next badge is in this town. We won't be able to search for it if we leave town! We can't give up when we haven't even tried to search the town for it."

"He's got you there," Kotaro said, seconding his rival.

Glancing from one runt to the other Chisame relented, "Chachamaru!"

"Searching… Found," the android stated. Leading the way the android girl kept them in the alleys and shadows. Directing them to stay in the alley, she scanned the square. Moving casually but with a purpose, she found her target. Gathering the badge she quickly returned to the others.

"It can't be," Negi stammered. "There's no reason to drop such a handy badge."

"This situation couldn't get any worse," Kotaro stated as he looked at the reward sheet. "It's not just Negi's picture; everyone else is listed with a reward as well."

Seeing Negi start down his "if only I were stronger" road Kotaro smacked his companion upside his head. "Has that nice educated brain of yours started swirling around the same thing again?" Drawing a swirling spiral over his head as Negi came to his senses. "Did you forget that talk we had before, or are you worthless?"

"But…"

"Have some faith in the girls. They're not as weak as you may think. They can handle something like this easily." Seeing the doubt remaining on Negi's face, the dog demon knew that he had to stop his rival before he could get a head of steam going. "Isn't a comrade somebody you can believe in, without any basis at all? Have some faith in them Negi."

* * *

Ku Fei loved a good fight. Back in Mahora she always felt invigorated at the prospect of having a good fight with her multitude of challengers when she stepped off of the train. Though the fights were enjoyable, none of them had challenged her until the K.O. Budokai Tournament when Mana had pressed her so hard. It wasn't until she had started her rigorous training, first with Negi and the girls from her class, and then from her sparing with Ranma, Ku Fei had felt that she was actually improving.

It wasn't until her fight with Fate that she realized just how much she had fallen behind the others. Unable to tap into magical reserves she and Ranma had been at a great disadvantage compared to the other girls. Somehow Ranma, even without magic, could not only hold his own against the others but soundly defeat all but Evangeline while Ku Fei was just holding her own against her steadily improving classmates.

Just what was the difference between her and Ranma? While he might have an edge on her in his devotion to the arts, Ku Fei couldn't help but think that it was the fact that he had strong rivals to fight, not spar, against. The strong desire to need to improve himself against his many rivals had made him into the strong fighter that he was today.

Wasn't that what they did in anime? Fighting against stronger and stronger opponents on their way to becoming stronger.

Taking a deep breath, Ku Fei knew that she had plenty of strong opponents around her. Clutching Negi-sensei's staff, she was tempted to use it. Shaking her head, she knew that it was not her weapon, thus not for her to use. Stuffing it into the nook of the hollow tree, she stood up and charged the hunter closest to her.

* * *

"Ah!"

The scream fractured the peace and quiet of the forest, catching the ears of the four companions. Jumping to his feet the tall blond haired man reached for his sword. "That didn't sound like it was too far from us!"

Cocking her long ears so that she could better listen to the disturbance the blond elf drew her weapons. "Sounds like it was 50, maybe 60 meters away; possibly a griffin."

Rushing off the man with the short blond hair charged ahead followed by the other man with long blond hair.

Shaking her head, the second elf glanced at her remaining companion before the two women rushed after their headstrong and often foolish partners.

* * *

As the sun set Akira could feel something in the air; what it was though she couldn't say. Watching Haruna nervously doodle with her enchanted pen, the swimmer could tell that the manga-ka felt it too. Having spent the day watching Ranma furiously practice using his pactio – The Grandmaster's Scroll – they watched as Ranma spared with a clone of himself.

"Thanks Natsumi," Ranma said as he accepted a bowl of stew from the freckled girl. Looking at his card Ranma knew that while he could use it in battle it provided no true benefit to him other then the boost in power. "Adeat!"

Triggering the card he felt the now familiar boost of magical energies coursing through him as the card was replaced with a scroll. Unfurling the scroll he examined it. _What's the point of listing all the techniques I know? It's not like I need to go back and learn them._ Glancing at the Heaven's Blast he saw notes that included how he had altered the attack for various uses. Curious he looked for his most basic attack and saw that it too had additional notes. Sure what to make of it he looked further down the scroll. _Why's Ryoga's Breaking Point Technique in here?_ Running his hand over the diagram Ryoga's training to master the move he felt the magic of the scroll coursing through him.

Looking at the scroll in a new light Ranma had a rare flash of inspiration and genius. Scanning the scroll he found Takahata's Iaiken and Asuna's kanka along with a great many more fighting techniques that he had seen and fought against. _The scroll grants me mastery of any techniques I've seen, though not the benefits of actually having trained for that technique. _Running his hand over the diagrams he felt the flow of knowledge transfer from the scroll to his mind. _This is going to be fun_.

Unfortunately for Ranma things weren't as easy as they looked. After using the artifact several times he realized that he could master the techniques only while the artifact was in use. Once he stopped using the Grandmaster's Scroll he couldn't remember how to perform the technique. Still, it was a way for him to quickly master the techniques as he started to commit the moves not only to his conscious memory, but to his muscle and body's memory as he became accustomed to channeling ki and magical energies or to move in the matching steps.

If he focused on only one technique at a time he could master it after an hour of practicing it with the scroll. Anything more then that and he would forget everything after he stopped using the artifact.

It was well after midnight when Lynx approached Ranma. Eager to test his mastery of the three techniques he had worked on he sprang to his feet. Following the vampire out of the cavern and up the rocky surface of the cliff Ranma had expected to fight.

"Sit," the vampire commanded. Noticing the somber air about the vampire Ranma knelt down.

"In nearly two hundred years I've never seen a fighter as remarkable as you," Lynx stated. Seeing Ranma swell with pride, the vampire couldn't help but smile. "You possess the potential to master each technique that I've tried to master and hopefully have taught you. You possess the potential to succeed where I have failed."

Looking up at the starlit sky the vampire sighed. "Over two hundred years ago Nasham was little more then a rampaging demon. He happened to destroy the village that my family lived in. I was a bounty hunter then, just like I am now, but much less skilled or powerful. My team and I hunted him down but we couldn't kill him. We did injure him but the rest of my team was killed. I agreed to become his familiar so that he could channel the excess rage to me. It's easier during the day when I'm asleep, and some nights it's easier then others, but its been getting worse these last few years."

Taking a moment to gather himself and for Ranma to absorb everything, Lynx continued, "I know that I told you that you needed to kill me, but in truth I need you to kill Nasham, to end his curse."

"But if you're his familiar, won't you die when Nasham dies?"

"Yes, I will," the vampire answered. "I've been prepared to die for decades. We've been searching for someone strong enough to finish the job I started nearly two hundred years ago. I believe you are it."

"I can't kill you," Ranma stated. "Whatever you did was centuries ago. Isn't there a statue of limitations or something?"

"It's not like we're going to die," Lynx replied. "We'll be with you."

Ranma blinked as he tried to make the connection.

"Bind Nasham," the vampire stated as he saw the bewildered look on Ranma's face. "What did it feel like when you thought Haruna had died? Rhetorical question, sorry. The point is that you have to protect those girls," Lynx ordered. "I know that you care for them more then you care to admit. So protect those girls; if you can't then call upon us when you need help."


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Notes

Disclaimers were back at the start of the fic, but just in case you missed it –

I do not own either Negima or Ranma ½. If I did I would actually have something worth suing over.

Thanks to everyone who have read and reviewed.

Some of you may have noticed the swerve that the fic has taken from the respective mangas, but this is a crossover fic, which makes it AU.

For those of you who noticed; yeah, I did borrow something from Rebirth for some of Ranma's attacks.

Special thanks to my Betas KitsuneOverlord and Teturo.

I hope everyone continues to enjoy the fic. Please, read and Review.

* * *

Chachamaru looked at her reflection in pool around the fountain and noted the structural changes to her face. While she had no doubt that the magical age changing pills would work on her, the android knew that age was a subjective and relative term. Still, she had managed to change into what appeared to be a six or seven year old girl, matching Chisame's apparent age and size as well.

Following the others into the tavern she scanned the area for anyone that could reasonably match one of her classmates. Listening as Negi and Kotaro questioned the barkeeper; Chachamaru continued to scan the crowd as she continued to play the part of the curious little girl.

Looking over the wanted fliers she picked out several figures that could match the pictures on the wanted lists. Working as bounty hunters would definitely help them get some much needed income as well as allow them to travel around and search for the others without drawing any suspicion. Cautiously she watched as a hulking figure walked over to Negi.

"Hey, bro," the huge man said as he grabbed Negi's head and turned the smaller boy to face him. "I don't like that mug of yours," he declared, "let me gat a shot at it."

"Isn't that a bit abrupt?" Though he knew he could take the stranger, Negi wanted to avoid a fight and drawing attention to himself and the others.

Seeing that no one had cared to stop the brute, Kotaro shook his head. "This really is a lawless town."

"It's no use arguing!" the thug shouted as though seconding Kotaro's statement.

Quickly dodging and slipping behind the thug, Negi easily avoided the hard left cross that connected with the barstool that he had been sitting on. "I won't allow you to hit me without any reason," he stated as the stranger turned to face him.

"Hah! I was beaten to the pulp by an idiot with a mug like yours along time ago," he stated as though that were reason enough to strike Negi. "Since then I've had this conditioned response whenever I see some red-haired pansy-boy, ya know?"

Piecing the thug's slurred words together Negi casually evaded his attacker, leaving destroyed furniture in his wake. Sensing his opponent channeling energy for a magical boost Negi decided to finish the fight quickly before anymore damage occurred. Slipping under the larger man's guard he connected with a stiff left to the man's stomach.

He stared in surprise as the man fell to the floor. "I thought he was strong," Negi stammered as he tried to explain laying out the big man.

Finishing his drink Kotaro set the cup down as the unconscious man's companions rushed to attack Negi. Wanting to test his larger frame and build, the hanyo joined the fray. Despite their greater numbers the group was quickly defeated by the combined forces of the young rivals as they relied on just physical attacks.

"Sorry about the damages." In truth Negi was sorry to have caused such a commotion. The fight, as brief as it was, had drawn unnecessary attention to the small party, something that he had tried to avoid.

"That's just how it is sometimes," the owner said as he dismissed the young man's apology. "This happens all the time. I'll just have them reimburse me for the damages, so don't worry about it." Wiping a mug he watched as his staffers moved to repair or replace the damaged furniture. "Still, you kids are pretty strong for your age. Kinda reminds me of the old days," he said with a slight smile. "I can see why you're bounty hunters. But I think that you would be better off as prize fighters."

"Prize fighters?" Kotaro asked as he put a table back up.

"Yeah, as strong as you guys are, you could make a tidy sum. And you wouldn't have to put those cute little girls in harms way."

"We don't care about money," Kotaro snapped. Disappointed that he'd gotten so worked up over nothing, he was feeling slightly agitated. Pushing the ever polite Negi out of his way he turned to the owner, "What we want is information. Have you remembered anything?"

"I don't recall seeing any of them," the older man replied. Scratching his goatee he added, "Someone did come in the other day asking for them though." Standing up he looked at his assistants, "Hey Rorke, didn't someone come by in the last few days asking about the new bounties?"

"Yeah," a lean beastman replied as he finished setting down a table. "Scarlett stopped in; said she had a lead on someone on the poster."

Nodding the owner turned back to Kotaro. "The Scarlet Vixens; they're a fairly well know team of bounty huntresses around here. The Vixens only go after men," the barkeeper explained. "I don't think she's ever failed to catch her prey. Even though they only go after men, the Vixens aren't a team to take lightly. Scarlett and the girls sometimes work as prize fighters when they're not after some poor guy."

Jotting down quick notes Chisame hoped that the huntresses were not coming after Negi. From what she could make of the owner's words, it seemed like he and the rest of the patrons of the tavern held the Scarlett Vixens in much higher regard then they did the group of thugs that Negi and Kotaro had just beaten. Knowing how both boys tended to hold back when fighting against females, running into them could be disastrous.

"No way you're going to catch up to them," Rorke piped in as he dropped off a full tray of plates. "I think she said they were headed to Nayla."

Pulling out her map Chisame found the small city. Nestled between a deeply forested mountain range and a vast desert, the city was well over two thousand kilometers away. They definitely weren't after Negi or Kotaro.

"Ranma," Chachamaru whispered to the other girl. "His badge is distinctive, and it is showing on the locator to be in that region. He's not alone either." Holding the locator so that the other girl could see it, the android pointed to the other marker that appeared right next to it and one more within a hundred kilometers of him.

"With the Gateport closed the only way you're gonna catch up to them is with an airship," the beastman replied as Kotaro asked how the bounty huntresses were going to get to Manawell.

Waiting for the beastman to move to another table the group began to exchange their notes as they ate their meal.

"So it looks like Ranma's in the Nayla region to the northeast. He's with at least one of the girls is with him and another close by," Chachamaru stated as she pointed out Ranma's rough location on the map.

"It sounds like he has bounty hunters on his tail," Chisame added as she looked over the notes again. "Given the state we last saw him in, is he healthy enough to fight against the bounty hunters?"

"We don't know for sure what happened to him since the Gateport incident," Kotaro countered. "He's the strongest one of all of us, he could have taken all these guys," he pointed to the thugs piled up in the corner "with one hand behind his back and with a blindfold on."

"Looking at the map you can see that the there are more in this region. If we were to go after Ranma we'd be moving away from them. Should we head towards Granicus then we would be much closer to the rest of the girls while also being able to move towards Ranma before heading to Megalomesembria" the android pointed out.

"I suggest we head to Granicus," Kotaro stated. "Ranma can take care of himself; we don't know if the girls near Granicus are able to do the same."

"To Granicus then," Negi decided as he stood up.

"Leaving already?" the barkeep asked as he spotted the group getting ready to go.

"Yeah, the food was great," Negi replied as he paid their tab. "Um, Barkeep… The Thousand Master came to this town long ago, didn't he?"

Reminiscing, the barkeep scratched his goatee. "Yeah, it was eighteen or nineteen years ago I believe. He was wandering the world at the time. He was still a brat compared to the regular daytime thugs though."

"What sort of person was he?"

"Well, his name was known even out in this out of way place," the older man said as he sought to find the best way to answer the question. "Being the hero who had put an end to the war, I wondered what kind of finely honed man he would be… Yes… That's it… he was an idiot!"

* * *

Examining the young girl before her Lynn tried to maintain some degree of professionalism, as much as adventurers could be professional outside of having fun. Stealing glances at Christian as he stole glances at Aisha as she stole glances at Craig as he stole glances at the young girl that Lynn was examining, the vicious love triangle just became more complicated with the addition of Nodoka.

"Thank you," the mousy girl said.

"So what is a girl like you doing out in these terrifying woods alone?" Craig asked. Though he had tried to sound as though he was interested in why she was in the woods; Lynn knew that he was just trying to find out more about the girl. Stealing a glance at Craig then at Aisha and then back at Craig, the dark haired elf watched as her friend's complexion darkened. _How does he miss things like this? It's so obvious on someone with such a fair skin and light hair._

"I've been separated from my friends," the human girl answered simply.

As the party of adventures walked with the young girl they listened to her tale. Having been at the Gateport during the incident she had found herself completely lost and alone. Having spent the past week wandering through the wilderness she had stumbled upon a griffin's lair prior to them rescuing her from said griffin.

Despite the obvious holes in her story, Lynn didn't sense that the girl was a threat to them. Shaking her head as she glanced at Craig, she knew that the party would be seeing quite a bit of Nodoka for a while.

"There's a town not too far from here," Christian stated, "why don't you come to town with us? We could always use another party member, and you seem to be fairly capable given that you've managed to fend for yourself for over a week."

Lynn knew that Christian was playing with Aisha. Given her feelings for Craig, the presence of a potential rival could either push her to finally act on her feelings or not. Lynn herself had no idea what was going to happen and was sure that Christian was in the same boat. Still, his propensity for screwing with Aisha was probably what had compelled him to invite Nodoka to travel with them. With Craig firmly supporting him, Lynn knew that neither of the girls could say anything to dissuade the strangely quiet girl from joining them.

* * *

The Magus thought it was odd seeing Nekane so worked up. The young woman's even temperament tended to keep her relaxed enough to avoid confrontations with others or to cause problems for anyone. With her only living relative having left for the magic country it was no surprise that she was anxious, added to that was the fact that several of Negi's students had disappeared shortly after the group had left for the barrier left him feeling slightly unsettled.

Still, it was too soon to say if anything unfortunate had happened. Having just sent a large number of travelers through the barrier to the Gateport it would be weeks if not a month for them to receive any notice from the authorities on the other side. If the girls had wandered off after Negi and his companions then they probably had just gotten lost in the mist.

"You do know that there is no plausible way for you to have been able to connect with your partner with just your pactio," he stated as he dismissed one of her key points. "Telepathy generally extends to a distance of ten kilometers. Enhancers and amplifiers can only add a few kilometers at best. To have reached him on another planet is simply impossible."

"I understand," the girl conceded. "But please, just consider the possibility that something went wrong."

Huffing in resignation the elderly mage nodded. "I'll see what I can do. Please have a file on each of the girls that went missing on my desk within the hour. Do not let the other girls know that anything has happened."

* * *

Moving through the thick forest Kazumi hoped that she hadn't lost the Scarlett Vixens' trail. Losing their trail was not an option; not after she'd deliberately discarded her badge to throw off the bounty huntresses when they had mentioned that they were after someone from the Ala Alba; not after sneaking onboard their airship and avoiding detection for two days.

Spotting a blue stone she knew that she was still on the right track. Smiling she couldn't help but wonder how badly things would have gone if the ghost hadn't been around to help her evade detection during their time on the airship, not to mention how the tiny puppet body was able to stow away in one of the succubae's pack so that she could leave a discrete trail for the class reporter.

Picking up the azure marker Kazumi paused to catch her breath. Looking up she tried to make out the sun's position. Posing as a bard since finding herself separated from the others, she had only a light pack, not enough to sustain more then a few days in the woods.

"Kazumi!" Sayo shouted. Taking a frantic step forward the puppet fell onto her face.

"Sayo, what happened?" Rushing over to her seatmate she picked up the puppet.

"I found Ranma!" the ghost girl stated as she brushed some dirt off of her face. "Actually, the Vixens found him. I don't know what happened, but they left their things behind when they went to capture him. After an hour or so they didn't come back so I slipped out of the pack."

"So he beat them up and chased them off," the reporter concluded. Ranma was alive, that was good. Though she had seen little of the fight she had noticed that the cursed boy had been injured in the fighting. Then there was that huge explosion that he had disappeared in.

"I don't know," Sayo replied. "I did hear them while they were setting up; something about him being under the protection of a vampire and demon. They live in a cave up ahead."

* * *

Having dedicated the entirety of his short life in the pursuit of martial arts mastery Ranma had trained in various styles and disciplines. While he rarely ever used anything that he had learned from Martial Arts Tea Ceremony and Martial Arts French Dining, he had been forced to use them in the past. Reading over some of Nasham and Lynx's techniques he felt that they were a bit bloody and excessive, but they had their uses in actual combat.

Hearing the magical perimeter wards signaling that someone had entered the clearing by the cavern's entrance, Ranma quickly rolled up the Grandmaster's Scroll as he sprang to his feet. With Nasham and Lynx gone the wards were quickly fading. Lacking the knowledge to renew them himself and needing to search for the rest of the Ala Alba, he had decided that they needed to move out. If the Scarlet Vixens had found him, there were probably many other bounty hunters closing in on his trail.

Rushing past the girls Ranma began to charge up his kanka as he prepared for another fight. Exiting the cave he spotted a startled Kazumi with Sayo perched on the resident reporter's shoulder.

"Ranma!" the cheerful redhead cried as she greeted the cursed boy.

"Kazumi," he responded as he came to a halt and started to power down, "what are you doing here?"

"I followed the Scarlet Vixens," she stated as she inhaled deeply. Relieved at having reunited with another member of Ala Alba, she couldn't help but notice how cute Ranma was. Blinking she smiled at the cursed boy as she realized that maybe Akira and Haruna were right about him.

"Um, you alright?" he asked as he looked her over again. Unsure what to make of her strange behavior, Ranma took a step back. Seeing that Kazumi's legs were starting to tremble he put a supportive hand on her Sayo free shoulder.

Intoxicated by his closeness, Kazumi looked into Ranma's clear blue eyes. "I will be," she replied as she leaned forward and kissed him hard on the lips.

"Kazumi!" Sayo shouted as she realized just what her seatmate was doing. Had the ghost been able to blush, she would have been beet red.

"Ranma!" "Kazumi!" "Ranma!" "Kasumi!" The air echoed with shouts from the cave.

Pushing himself away from the eager redhead, Ranma glanced back at the entrance to the cave. "It's not what you think!" he cried out in his defense as he spotted Akira, Natsumi, Ako, and Haruna.

The cool ocean breeze casually rolled over the beach as the tide slowly receded. Standing on the stern of the small boat the fiery redhead scanned the beach as she clutched her satchel. Spotting the columns of smoke she looked towards the seaside village.

The tiny port suited her needs as it probably had not received word of the bounty placed on her head. It had been difficult finding a ship with room after the Gateport incident. With most of the larger ships carrying cargo and travelers to the larger cities Asuna had to settle for one of the smaller ships. Smaller ships meant that the journey would take longer, but with the club having been scattered to the ends of the magical world, that was a sacrifice that she and Setsuna both would gladly make as they had already searched the entirety of the small chain of islands.

Besides, not many ships were willing to take someone who couldn't pay for their fare. _I'm just glad they were hiring extra muscle_, she thought to herself.

"You did good," the first mate said gruffly as stood up beside her. "Here's your pay."

"But I thought our pay was just enough for our fare?" Setsuna asked

"It was," the werewolf replied, "but since you both won't be here when we collect the bounty, this is your share for them. You might want to stay away from the collection office," he advised sternly. "Honest girls like you shouldn't go near those places."

Nodding in understanding the two girls headed into town, making sure to avoid the local bounty office.

* * *

Filling up her newly acquired canteen Ku Fei smiled at the unconscious lizard-man. The most recent of bounty hunters to have come after her, Ku Fei had found herself hard pressed to deal with his four arms and long tail. Still, she had managed to win despite being unable to finish the fight quickly.

Rummaging through the warrior's pack she found some rope. Binding her unconscious opponent to the nearest tree she hoped that he did not have any companions in the area. Grabbing a few essentials she tied Negi's staff to the pack before setting off in what she hoped was east. Taking out what appeared to be a nutrition bar of sorts she cautiously took a bite. Despite her hunger she couldn't handle the awful taste. Spitting it out the tossed the meal bar back at the unconscious lizard man. Drinking heavily as she hoped to drown her growling stomach Ku Fei couldn't help but chuckle as she recalled her title Club Negima – Meat Bun Minister.

Catching a tantalizing scent Ku Fei's mouth watered as she fought to control her base instinct to find the source of the aroma and satisfy her hunger. Following the scent discreetly she hoped that it wasn't more bounty hunters.

_Roasted… rabbit, _she thought as the scent grew stronger. She'd yet to see a rabbit or anything like a rabbit since arriving in the magic country. With its many creatures it was possible that there was something around related or resembling a rabbit.

Hearing several voices she quietly approached the clearing as her need for caution won out against her hunger.

"I can't believe you kissed her," Natsumi said louder then necessary.

"She kissed me," Ranma shouted in his defense. "I can't help that my stupid phara..."

"Pheromones," the freckled girl finished.

"Pheromones were in overdrive – I haven't learned how to control them since the binding those succubae." Carrying several large boxes into the Scarlett Vixen's vacated airship he couldn't help but wonder if they were laughing at him from where ever it was that they were now that they were bound to him. Messing with his hormones and pheromones which caused the girls around him to go crazy, he'd have to figure out a way to keep his energies in check. "From what I've read of the notes that Lynx left me I can affect only those who might or already are interested in me; I probably don't affect you two because you both are interested in someone else."

"So you're going to have to watch yourself around Akira and Haruna," Ako stated as she checked on the roasting meat.

"I guess," he admitted, _like_ _things aren't already weird between me and those two_.

Instinctively he jumped to his feet as he heard someone approach the airship. Moving between the intruder and the girls he relaxed his guard as Ku Fei emerged.

"Ku Fei!" the two girls shouted as they recognized their classmate.

"Food!" the Chinese girl shouted as she ran past them.

* * *

Author's note –

Shorter chapter then the last few ones, but I wanted to get away from writing fight scenes -Sorry to everyone who was looking forward to seeing Ranma fight Nasham. I'll probably visit that fight later on in a flashback, for now Ranma just has to deal with his fluctuating powers and the issues that causes him.

As you may have noticed, I'm branching out from the group that's with Ranma.

After last week's flurry of chapters/updates, don't look for me to keep that pace up. I'll be lucky to get one chapter a week. Somehow getting sick two weeks back sent my mind into overload and I just had a load of ideas that I wanted to put down. That combined with the free time from the holidays and taking sick time at work gave me a lot of time to write. I'm just glad that the ideas worked out.

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving, for those of us who celebrate it when we do.

Later –

Dreamingfox


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Notes

Disclaimers were back at the start of the fic, but just in case you missed it –

I do not own either Negima or Ranma ½. If I did I would actually have something worth suing over.

Thanks to everyone who have read and reviewed.

Yes, by the standards I set last month this chapter was a long time in coming. What can I say, I had to get back to work, watch some football, spend time with the wife and family(ies), etc. Oh, and I made time to watch some anime (Baki the Grappler, Naruto) and go Christmas shopping. I also took some time to read (and occasionally review) some other fics – Change of Power is good, and I'm glad that there was a new chapter of A Good Offense, and Might and Magic.

Anyways, some of you may have noticed the swerve that the fic has taken from the respective mangas, but this is a crossover fic, which makes it AU.

For those of you who noticed; yeah, I did borrow something from Rebirth for some of Ranma's attacks.

Special thanks to my Betas KitsuneOverlord and Teturo.

I hope everyone continues to enjoy the fic. Please, read and Review.

* * *

Rolling up the Grandmaster's Scroll Ranma fought hard to keep from blushing. _Soul of Ice, Soul of Ice_, he thought hard as he tried to control his body. Loosing control of his pheromones in the recycled air of the cramped airship would not be a good thing, especially with three of them possibly interested in him. Breathing deeply he calmed himself as well as he could. Unfurling the scroll he went over the various techniques again.

Kissing Techniques, he read to himself. Healing Kiss, Poison Kiss, Plague Kiss, Soul-sucking Kiss, Life-draining Kiss, Kiss of Near-Death, Kiss of Deep Sleep… on and on he read the various kissing techniques and how to perform them. _Definitely not techniques that I'll be able to practice on anyone_, he thought to himself. Glancing at the next series of techniques Ranma blushed as he rolled up the scroll again, I d_efinitely won't be using those techniques_.

Feeling the need for a cold shower Ranma dismissed the artifact. Walking out into the corridor Ranma hesitated as he spotted Akira and Ako sitting by one of the windows in the cramped kitchen/bath area. Sensing someone else approaching the common area Akira looked up. For a split second their eyes connected before both of them looked away.

"I think I'll go bring some of this to…" pausing Ako considered mentioning Akira's other rivals for the pigtailed boy's affections before thinking better of it, "the others. They're probably hungry." Stacking several bowls and utensils onto the cover of a steaming pot Ako quickly brushed past Ranma as she went to divert the other girls.

Having not spoken to each other since Haruna's abrupt return two days ago the pair stood in awkward silence.

Looking out the window at the night sky Akira finally broke the silence. "It's so beautiful," Akira stated, "this magical world. Yet it's so dangerous too. And yet all of you came here willingly. Why?"

Inhaling deeply Ranma stood across the alcove from Akira. "I can't tell you why Negi's here, but I can tell you that the other girls came because they wanted to help him. I'm here to help keep Negi and the others, and you, safe."

"And all the other girls in 3-A can fight too?"

"Some are," he replied honestly, "the rest have abilities that help out with Negi's quest."

"From those 'Pactio'?"

Screwing up his face, Ranma really didn't want to answer her question. "Yes," he answered reluctantly, "but every pactio is different depending on the person's personality or something like that."

"So all the girls kissed either Negi or Kotaro?"

"I don't know for sure, but I think it's mostly with Negi," Ranma replied sheepishly. "I don't know who specifically beside Asuna, Haruna, Yue, Nodoka, and Konoka though."

While she could understand and accept his explanation, the enormous weight of their situation finally settled on her. Suddenly Akira felt her knees buckle, only to feel Ranma's arms gently wrap around her to prevent her from falling.

"I'm sorry," she whispered as she tried to stand up and push off of his chest. "I'm just a burden to you, aren't I?"

"No, I like having you around," he admitted. "I feel like I can relax around you, like I'm normal. Around my…" he didn't really want to call them his friends… "associates back in Nerima I only felt normal around the other fighters because we all stood out; with you… well, with all of you, I feel like I don't have to try being normal. It's like you accept me just for being me, not accepting me as a fellow martial artist or because you're waiting to see what's going to happen next."

With his finger on her chin he lifted her face. Gazing into her eyes was like staring into the night sky. "I… I think I want to kiss you," he stammered. "I think I've wanted to since the last time we talked."

Barely making out what he had said over the pounding of her heart Akira trembled as she felt his breath on her skin. "So, what's stopping…" she started to say only to be interrupted by his gentle kiss. Savoring the brief feeling of his warm lips pressed to hers Akira pulled the martial artist closer.

Feeling his heart pounding against his chest Ranma quickly pulled away, afraid to lose control over his own hormones and pheromones.

"I like you too," Akira whispered as she nuzzled against his neck and shoulder. "I know you like Kazumi and Haruna too, but for now, can't we just stay like this?"

* * *

Leaping from rock to rock Asuna made her way towards the small waterfall. Stopping short of the pool at the base of the waterfall she scanned the clearing. Spotting her raven haired companion she pulled out a horn and blew on it. Slowly a serpentine head emerged from behind the waterfall then another and another until five heads finally appeared; all attached to one long, slender reptilian body. Wanting all five heads to focus their attention on her Asuna picked up a rock and tossed it at the creature. Though she failed to connect with the stone it was clear that she now had its undivided attention.

Charging at the redhead the hydra snapped at Asuna with three of its heads. Leaping over the first head Asuna kicked off of it to avoid the second head while batting the third one away with her harisen. Using the momentum of the hydra's strike combined with her counter to propel her away from the creature Asuna landed well outside of the creature's range. Looking up she spotted Setsuna's signal. Using her harisen she struck the surface of the pool so that a wave of water splashed over the hydra.

Casting a freezing ward at the hydra Setsuna hoped that the cold would discourage if not slow the creature's assault. Their job was not to kill the creature, merely force it back into the marsh and away from the river. Seeing the pond freeze over and a noticeable layer of ice on the creature the swordswoman leapt over the edge of the cliff as she moved to trigger the next rune.

After several minutes of baiting the hydra with Asuna's attacks and discouraging it from returning to its new lair with the freezing wards the two girls managed to lead the creature back towards the marsh.

"That's far enough," Setsuna shouted as Asuna taunted the hydra with another blast from the horn. Using a dagger she roughly scratched several runes into the boulders around the marsh the swordswoman renewed the barrier spell around the marsh. "Hurry!"

Needing no further prompting Asuna batted away another head as she leapt from rock to rock as she raced towards her companion. "Now!" she shouted as she passed the wards.

Triggering the last of the runes Setsuna watched as magical energies coursed through the series of etchings. Stopping several meters from the wards the hydra shook its five heads as the magical energies drove it back into the marsh.

"That wasn't too bad," Asuna said as she stood besides Setsuna.

* * *

"So fu ike Wama tu?" Ku Fei asked Kazumi as she stuffed her face.

"Chew your food," the reporter instructed as she tried to make sense of what the Chinese girl had said. "Ranma's cute, don't you think?"

Deliberately chewing the food Ku Fei shook her head. "He's cute, but he's a better fighter. Ku Fei only interested in him as fighter – will not be happy until he fights me seriously. I want him to help be become a better, stronger fighter."

Nodding Kazumi could respect Ku Fei's rational even though she did not see things the same way, but each to their own.

"What about you Haruna?" Ako asked as she sipped some of her soup.

"He's cute," she admitted with a slight blush, "but he's also done so much. I can't imagine doing even half of what he's experienced. He's so calm and cool in every situation, and he knows how to enjoy life. I wish I could be so carefree and fearless."

"You should see the pictures she draws of him," Ku Fei added as she refilled her bowl with soup.

Blushing even more, Haruna was glad that her sketch book was hidden away in her satchel.

"You've been drawing him?" Natsumi asked as she looked up at the manga-ka. "Don't your drawings come to life?"

"Only some of them," Haruna answered quickly.

"Have you practiced on them?" Kazumi asked.

Freezing as she realized the possibilities of what she could do with an animated Ranma drawing the manga-ka trembled as her imagination started to run wild. "No… I wouldn't do that… If anything, they would only want me to…"

"You know you want to," Kazumi stated, baiting the normally impulsive girl.

"Ahhh!" Unable to control herself Haruna ran out of the bridge, leaving the other girls to gap at her departure.

Glancing at the controls Natsumi wondered aloud, "Does anyone else know how to steer this thing?"

* * *

Staring up at the night sky the gruff traveler took a long, satisfying drag on his cigarette. Feeling the nicotine buzz hitting he rolled his head until his neck cracked. Exhaling he released the tension and frustration of the empty leads and dead ends.

"You're sure that Ranma is in this area?" Takahata asked as he tapped his cigarette.

"Nope," the dark skinned girl replied. "But if several more notable bounty hunter teams are heading into the area; then I have reason to believe that they might know something more then we do. Given the size of the bounties on Negi and Ranma, I wouldn't be surprised if some of them went a little out of their way to go after either of them."

Adding more wood to the fire she glanced over at her former homeroom teacher. "No word on any of the others then?" the scruffy blond asked as he reached for a burning twig to light a new cigarette.

Shaking her head the mercenary sat across from the blond. "Not yet. Few hunters are going to go out of their way for such small bounties. But it's the ones that do go after the girls who concern me. If someone is able to figure out the connection between the girls and Negi, they'll probably try to use it against Negi and the others."

Nodding, Takahata flicked the remains of his cigarette into the fire. "So we find the girls and make sure they're safe. We don't take them with us, just lead them towards safety. Besides, I don't want Negi and the others to have to rely on us if they don't have too."

"You don't think they need our help?"

"I think that they should be able to handle some adversity," the older man explained, "and that we should only step in when necessary. Besides, we don't want Fate and his group to know what we're up to; if he's interested in just Negi he would have taken care of them back in the Gateport. I don't want them to know that we're here until we have to."

* * *

"I still think that we work as bounty hunters," Kotaro stated before ripping a mouthful of meat off of the drumstick.

"That option would allow us to freely travel the land," Chachamaru offered, "and it allows us to ask about the girls on the reward list. But without proper funding we can't move around to follow those leads."

"She's right," Chisame seconded. She just couldn't understand why the boys were clinging to the idea of being bounty hunters. "As it is we're low on funds. We don't have enough to afford a room or food for tonight."

"What else can we do?" Negi asked. Accepting that they needed more funding he was willing to find alternative means to fill their purses.

Smirking at his rival, Kotaro realized just what they could do, "Prize fighters."

* * *

"You don't have to do this," Craig stated as he eyed Nodoka. While he was reluctant to have the young girl tag along and put herself in the line of danger on their adventures, he was glad to be able to spend more time with the newest addition to the team.

"I won't get in the way," the mousy librarian stated, steeling her resolve. _I need to do this; I have to get that artifact_.

Patting Nodoka on the shoulder Craig smiled. "You've actually made the last few days more enjoyable," he stated. "Besides, we couldn't leave you all alone."

"It probably won't be worse than anything you've already endured," Christian added as he checked his equipment. "With the equipment you have now you shouldn't have any problems."

Encouraged Nodoka nodded as she slipped on her cloak.

* * *

"When did you take this one?" Natsumi asked as she pointed at one of the many photos in Kazumi's album.

Glancing at the photo Kazumi smiled. "That was the first time I saw Ranma actually," she said as she peered over the other girl's shoulder. "I was with Yuna and Makie getting some ice cream in the plaza when someone yelled. Someone had jumped over the railing near the World Tree."

"That's over 50 meters," Ako exclaimed as she recalled the plaza's layout.

"It caught us all off guard," the photographer admitted, "I didn't even know him at the time. But seeing this random guy jumping over the railing, fall over 50 meters, and land as though it was nothing really makes an impression."

"What about this one?" Natsumi asked as she pointed out another picture of Ranma.

"You've never seen Ranma eat when Kotaro was around, have you?"

Shaking her head, Natsumi took a closer look at the image of Ranma and Kotaro trying to steal each other's meals right off of each other's plates. "Are they always like that?"

"At every meal," Kazumi replied. "Well, there was that time we went out for sushi." Flipping through the album she pointed out another picture of the Ala Alba at a sushi bar; Ranma in his usual silky red Chinese shirt, casually flashing a 'V' as he held Kotaro in a headlock and ruffled the younger boy's already messy hair.

Looking through the many pictures Ako couldn't help but notice that Ranma almost always wore his red Chinese shirt and black pants. "Does he always wear the same thing?"

"He loves that shirt; I've seen him stitching any rips and tears so that it looks like nothing ever happened to the shirt." Giggling she pulled out another picture from the group. "See?" The other girls craned their necks to look at the picture of a bare-chested Ranma as he sewed his beloved shirt.

"You took all these pictures of him in only a few weeks?" Ku Fei asked as she pulled out a picture of her sparring with the pigtailed martial artist. Having deftly avoided her round house Ranma taunted the Chinese martial artist as he stuck his tongue out at her and flashed a 'V' at the camera.

"It's like he's posing for each one," Ako added as she noted that Ranma was almost always flashing a 'V' at the camera or at least smiling.

"I don't know why, but I couldn't get a good candid picture of him at all," Kazumi admitted. "The only ones he's not posing in or looking at the camera are the ones where he's fighting, and even then he's making some face or doing something."

"Like he always has his guard up," Ku Fei stated casually.

"Yeah," Kazumi whispered in agreement as she looked at the last two photos, the only photos of Ranma relaxing – sitting on the beach as Haruna put lotion on his back, and Ranma sitting next to Akira as they listened to the MP3 player.

* * *

Despite her normally calm demeanor she had born an unbelievable load during the short time she had spent in the magical world. Doing everything that she could to stay calm as the three 'normal' girls faced off against magical creatures, beast men and dealing with the apparent death of her first romantic crush was probably more then any 'normal' person could endure. Then again, Ranma wasn't normal, so it was hard for him to understand where she was coming from as she finally let loose and vented her feelings on him.

Stepping out of his room Ranma closed the door quietly so as not to wake the slumbering Akira. If anyone needed a nice relaxing lay-in it was her.

Rolling his neck and shoulders Ranma quickly worked out the kinks in his neck and back as he walked back towards the bridge. Passing by a window he peered at his reflection – his long red hair came down past his waist and his once cute girlish face was sharper, more defined, and mature. Having changed into his girl-form for Akira, he found that it was much easier to control his pheromones in his female form. _Probably because Akira isn't interested in me in my girl form, _he thought to himself_. Definitely something I should look into to keep the girls off of me_.

"Ranma."

Pulled out of his daze Ranma quickly turned away from his reflection and towards the manga-ka. "Oh, hey, I didn't know you were still up."

"I was just setting the ship on auto-pilot," Haruna explained. Glancing at Ranma she found her imagination running wild again. _Damn! She's bigger then Shizuna-sensei_. Vivid images started to run through her mind again. _No, no!_

"Um, something wrong?" he asked as he watched Haruna bang her head against the wall.

Having succeeded in stopping the images of Ranma in his various forms kissing various people from running through her mind, Haruna opened her eyes. Staring directly into Ranma's mesmerizing red eyes she suddenly felt lightheaded. "Just tired," she lied. "Speaking of being tired, don't you sleep anymore?"

Taking a moment to reflect Ranma realized that he hadn't slept much since the incident with the succubae.

Haruna had apparently reached the same conclusion as well. "When's the last time you slept?"

"The other day," he stated as he looked back at the last few days. "Right after I bound Nasham and Lynx."

"That was two days ago," Haruna stated as she walked over to her crush.

"Yeah." Nodding he couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't felt tired since then. "I guess I just have a lot to think about."

"Oh?" smiling slyly she walked over to him as she cocked her head and examined Ranma. "And just what were you thinking about? Or are you thinking about a particular someone?"

"You know, you look cute when you don't look like you're up to something," he stated as he tried to deflect the question.

Blushing Haruna couldn't believe that she was so close to Ranma, even in his girl form Ranma was irresistible. Chuckling she leaned against Ranma, resting her head against Ranma's full bosom. "We must remind you of your 'fiancé brigade', right? Akira, Kazumi, me…"

Though he was initially surprised by her boldness Ranma didn't mind that she had invaded his personal space. Brushing the manga-ka's hair aside Ranma smiled gently. "Only if one of you tries to kill the others, then one of you tries to set the others up with other guys, and the last one sends me to the hospital repeatedly with her cooking, or starts to slip sleeping or paralysis pills into my food and drinks…"

Sharing a laugh, the two remained standing in the corridor.

"I'm sorry if I scared you," Haruna finally said. "I didn't think that Fate was going to petrify my drawing, I didn't even know that he could. And then I saw you use the, what do you call it again?"

"Shishihokodan," Ranma whispered.

"Shishihokodan, that move that is fueled by your despair…"

Putting a finger on her lips Ranma silenced Haruna. "It's in the past," he said, cutting her off. "You did what you thought was necessary; just like I did. As long as you do your best, you should have no regrets." Reassuring her with a smile he absent mindedly caressed Haruna's cheek with his fingertips.

"You know," he whispered, "I always wondered what you'd look like without your glasses." Slowly, deliberately, he removed her glasses. "You're pretty cute…"

Blinking as her eyes refocused on Ranma's face as he slowly pulled her face closer to his. Closing her eyes she felt him press his lips to hers as they shared a kiss.

* * *

Charging through the cloud of dust Asuna slashed at the psychotic white robed girl. Laughing, her opponent easily dodged the wild swing as she leapt over the railing. Hovering in mid-air she continued to laugh as Asuna was unable to follow up on her assault. Unable to get past the cackling psycho Asuna watched helplessly as Fate's fist smashed into an already injured Negi, sending the young boy flying.

"What are you going to do to me in that state?" Fate asked mockingly as he stood over Negi. "Besides, it's already too late – we've finished our objective."

Leaping into the air Ranma charged the white haired boy. Smiling smugly Fate caught Ranma by the throat. Hovering in mid-air Ranma was illuminated by a sickly green light.

"Ranma!" Asuna cried out hoarsely as she shielded her eyes from the blinding light. In a flash Fate and his minions were gone, leaving only a broken Ranma falling through the air as pillars of stone rained down on the remains of the Ala Alba. "Ranma!"

"Asuna! Asuna!" someone beside her shouted. "Asuna, wake up!"

"Setsuna!" the redhead cried out as she realized where she was. Sitting up hastily Asuna tried to calm herself. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

"Don't worry," the swordswoman replied as she moved away from her companion, "it's still my watch." Throwing several logs into the fire, Setsuna gave Asuna a few moments to collect herself. "You were dreaming of the fight with Fate again," she stated. "You were dreaming about Ranma again," pausing she looked intently at the redhead, "you cried out his name."

Gazing into the flames Asuna couldn't bring herself to look Setsuna in the eyes. Konoka would have let the subject slide given the cursed boy's apparent demise.

"I don't think that he's dead," she replied somberly.

"Don't think or don't want?" Setsuna challenged. Watching as her words sunk into her stubborn classmate's thick skull she hoped that she hadn't crossed the line. Though they were classmates and both friends of Konoka, the two of them lacked the bond that they each shared with Konoka.

"I don't want to think that the last words I said to him were so harsh and mean," Asuna finally replied. "I thought that we could do this without him; I was wrong. I can't help but wonder how much worse things would have been if he hadn't been around; if he hadn't spent so much time training with us, helping us get stronger. I think that I just need to tell him how I feel."

Watching Asuna suddenly switch from being relaxed and honest to having her emotional guard back up Setsuna knew that there was more to it then what the redhead had said. Not wanting to press the issue and risking their friendships the swordswoman nodded silently.

"Get some sleep," Asuna ordered as she tried to deflect. "I'll take this shift."

* * *

Though barely audible, the voices were distinct enough for him to get some sense of bearing in the thick fog. Walking through a patch of fog Ranma found himself in a clearing. Scanning the area Ranma could make out several figures through the fog. Walking towards the figures he slowly started to relax as recognition set in.

Though he knew the women standing before him he couldn't identify them. "Who are you?"

"Who we are no longer matters," the foremost woman said as she stepped forward.

"You're the succubae…"

Nodding the five women's features slowly began to merge and blend so that they were each in distinguishable from one another.

"They were," a second figure stated as it emerged from the fog, "until you bound them."

"Lynx?" Taken aback at his former mentor's sudden appearance, Ranma found himself floundering for words. "What are you doing here?"

"Do you even know where here is boy?" the woman asked.

"Um… no."

Chuckling, the woman shook her head before she fixed her gaze back on the cursed boy. "It seems that you have some succubus blood in you, or at least in your cursed form. Because of that Nasham was able to bind us to you. Because of us you're able to come here."

"And 'here' is where exactly?" he asked as he tried to piece together what she had said.

"You are in the dreamscape," the woman finally answered.

"So this is a dream?"

"Sort of," Lynx replied. "It's a place that your mind is able to access, though your imagination can affect how you see things here."

"So I'm dreaming this?"

"Something like that, yes. Anyone who dreams can access the dreamscape but only a succubus or incubus can access another person's dreams and alter them." Looking around the fog, Lynx appeared to be searching for something to sit on. "Could you get me a chair or something?"

"If this is a dream, why are you here?"

"Chair first."

Concentrating Ranma managed to conjure a large rock for the vampire to sit on.

"The reason why we're here is because you bound us to you," the lead succubus explained. "Lynx is here because he's a part of your subconscious. Your mind is trying to find a logical reason for what you're seeing, and since Lynx is merged with you, you have some access to everything that he knew."

"Basically my soul along with Nasham's is slowly merging with yours," the vampire stated as he sat down on the boulder. "Aside from getting a boost in power, you also have access to our powers, and that artifact of yours will help you learn and eventually master all of our techniques. But you also have us -well, mostly just me - nagging you while you're asleep, at least for now."

Nodding as he tried to process everything that his subconscious was apparently trying to tell him, Ranma conjured a chair for himself.

"I get a rock and you get a chair," the vampire muttered as he looked at Ranma's chair.

"All carnal demons like succubae and incubi can also access the dreams of those they seek to seduce," one of the succubae stated.

"So basically you can access the dreams of any of the girls – or guys - you've kissed," Lynx explained, "in either form."

"Ohh!" one of the succubae crooned as she realized what that implied. "Can we look into their dreams?"

"I think so sis," another succubus answered as she started to turn into Kazumi. "I like that bouncy brunette; let's check out her dreams."

"That girl with glasses has such a vivid imagination," another succubus added as she morphed into Haruna.

"Look what the raven haired girl is dreaming," another added as she turned into Akira.

Pulling Ranma aside Lynx shook his head. "Ranma my boy, the best way to avoid slipping into their dreams is to not sleep when they are. But with these girls around, you might see more then you wanted to; or not."

Morphing into Kasumi the lead succubae peered into Kazumi's dream. "Oh my!"

Curious, Ranma glanced in her general direction. Through the haze he could slowly make out an open air hot spring bath, though the Kasumi-succubus was blocking the rest of his view.

Glancing back at the cursed martial artist, the succubus blushed, "You're such a naughty boy Ranma!"

* * *

I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Please review as I'm always looking for some good feedback.

Dreamingfox


	9. Chapter 9

Author's notes –

Thanks for reading the fic. I hope everyone enjoys reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it.

I must amend a statement that I had earlier made in a previous author's note – I will be bringing at least one or more characters from Ranma ½ into the fic. I will also keep the fic at the present rating.

Of course, I don't own anything of the characters from either Ranma ½ or from Negima.

Please read and review as I'm always open to hear what you think of this fic, good or bad.

* * *

Listening to the hustle and bustle of the pub beneath him, the silent intruder slipped into the now vacant room as the temporary tenants had gone off to the use the baths. Dashing through the room he quickly found what he was looking for – panties. Grabbing as much as he could hold he quickly left the room.

Scanning the hallway the thief quietly made his way down to the pub. About to make his clean escape the panty thief froze as he caught a familiar scent. Ducking under a table he sniffed the air. It was a woman's scent; a girl actually. Running through the list of girls he knew the thief tried to recall who the scent matched or was similar to the one here. Unable to place the scent the thief secretly climbed up so that he had a better view of the crowd in the pub. Spotting a familiar flash of red the thief smiled – Ranma.

* * *

Waking much earlier then normal Kasumi couldn't help but blush as she recalled the vivid dream that she'd just had. Having found Ranma in bed with a naked Shampoo several times she knew that the cursed boy wasn't one to initiate such… adult behaviors with any of his fiancés. While the Amazon was prone to cling to Ranma whenever she snuck into his bed, the elder Tendo daughter always believed that Ranma was innocent. Gathering her things for her morning bath Kasumi couldn't help but wonder why she had dreamt of Ranma behaving so… maturely with some unknown yet developed young woman in an open air hot springs bath.

Glad that everyone else was still asleep Kasumi blushed as her dream replayed itself in her mind. Shaking her head she tried in vain to clear the images from her head. Even after accidentally kissing Ranma she had not thought of the cursed boy in any way.

Locking the bathroom door the eldest Tendo daughter slipped out of her robe. Maybe she could look at Ranma in a different light – Uncle Saotome had raised Ranma to be a 'Man among Men'.

* * *

Taking a calming breath Negi slipped on the dragon skin tunic as he prepared for his debut as a prize fighter. Using word of their recent victory against the thug Vargas and his team of fighters in their barroom brawl Negi and Kotaro had been able to convince one of the smaller fighting teams to give them a chance to prove themselves in an actual arena fight. Despite Vargas' apparent skill and reputation Negi was skeptical about how good the large thug was as a fighter given his quick defeat by both Negi and Kotaro. Still, he couldn't deny the fact that he was psyched to be fighting alongside Kotaro in the arena as it was a good way for him to test his mettle against the fighters of the magical world as well as develop and hone his skills.

"I hope you're as good as you think you are," the silver haired elf stated as Negi and Kotaro approached the stairs leading up to the arena. "If you want to enter the Ostia Championship Tournament then you need earn a spot. I hope you rookies understand that not everyone is capable of cutting it as a prize fighter. Given how big this tournament is it's comes as no surprise that even seasoned veterans have died in some of the other cities."

Glancing at each other the two young fighters nodded as they reaffirmed their resolve.

Seeing that the boys were not to be deterred the elf lead the pair towards the arena. "The rules of this tournament are simple - winning teams advance. Due to the number of teams entered the first round matches feature three teams of two. You lose when both of your fighters are unable to fight or surrender. Between matches you can change your team line up, but since there are only two of you there's no point."

Turning around the grizzled elf looked the pair over again. Nodding grimly he stepped to the side and pressed his back to the wall. "Good luck to you rookies, you're the opening fight."

"Here we go!" Kotaro shouted as he ran up the stairs.

"Make sure you give the spectators a good show!" the elf shouted from behind them.

Reaching the arena the pair scanned the arena floor as they waited for the other two teams.

"Let's give a warm Granicus welcome to the rookie team Negima!" a feminine voice shouted as she spotted Negi and Kotaro emerge. "They face a tough challenge in their first round match as they face the winners of last years Minerva Cup – Team Korwin." At the south entrance to the arena a towering lizard man and a dark skinned elf emerged. "And let's not forget last season's winner of the Smaralda Cup and last year's winner of the Asur Cup – Team Geolu." Emerging from the north entrance was an armored beastman and two-headed troll.

"Despite having already earned a spot in the Ostia Championship Tournament by winning Minerva Cup, Team Korwin clearly wants their less seasoned fighters to brush up and keep in top form by entering this preliminary tournament. We've yet to see Santana and Blitzack team up for any of Team Korwin's matches; it'll be interesting to see what tricks they'll pull off together.

"And let's not underestimate Team Geolu's An-Zurrien and Igpay, and Nishoba. Tournament rules do count the An-Zurrien and Igpay as one entrant," the announcer explained. "Let's begin!"

Miffed at their dismissal Kotaro charged at the large beastman. Unable to hear the announcer over the roar of the crowd the hanyo was surprised when one of the troll's heads conjured a large hand of stone to intercept the overeager rookie. Spotting a second stone hand as it tried to swipe at him, Negi dodged as he cast lightning arrows at it.

Trapped by the stone hand Kotaro watched as a dozen shadow blades rained down on him as the dark skinned elf Santana sought to take advantage of the two headed troll's attack that had temperarily subdued him.

Unleashing a barrage of light arrows Negi tried to disrupt the troll's spells. Making no move to dodge the troll stood there as Nishoba intervened on its behalf as it let out a deafening roar that countered Negi's magical arrows. With their respective spells complete the two headed troll unleashed their twin attacks at Negi. The blast of wind combining with spears of stone creating a deadly attack as the already magical gale-force winds propelled the spears faster and harder than the spell normally would have alone.

"It appears as though the rookie team was overpowered!" the announcer called out over the roar of the crowd. "What a fantastic display of power by Igpay and An-Zurrien – it's no wonder why the other teams object to letting them compete as one entrant!"

Slowly the roar of the crowds died down.

"Wow, that was a really powerful combo," Kotaro admitted as he stood beside the troll.

"That really was some awesome magic," Negi seconded as he appeared on the troll's other side.

Startled Nishoba charged Kotaro. Sidestepping the charge Kotaro tripped his assailant before connecting with an elbow to the beastman's back. Off balance and unable to stop his momentum Nishoba crashed into the magically strengthened arena wall.

"What a startling upset! Who would have imagined that Team Geolu would be eliminated by the rookie team so quickly! And they did it without any assistance from Team Korwin too!"

Focusing their attention on the lizard man and the dark skinned elf Kotaro and Negi decided not to hold back. Letting loose a barrage of magical energy the rookie duo charged at their opponents. Magical attacks collided, creating a cloud of dust and shrapnel. Catching an odd scent Kotaro signaled Negi. Slowing down for a split second Negi cast a wind spell, propelling the debris and vapor at their opponents as Kotaro circled around the cloud.

Remaining upwind Negi dashed to the other side of the cloud of vapor as he prepared a barrier and waited for Kotaro's attack. Watching as the Korwin duo focused their attention on Kotaro and avoided his energy attack Negi deflected it at their exposed backs. Caught off guard by the deflected attack the pair found their spells and attacks disrupted. Taking advantage of their lack of defense and offense Kotaro slugged the lizard man hard in the face, launching him into the poisonous vapor cloud.

Realizing the hopelessness of the situation Santana raised his arms in defeat just as Negi was about to connect with a palm strike. Stopping mere centimeters from the dark skinned elf's face Negi smiled.

"Good match," Santana said with a nod of acknowledgement. "I'm sure we'll cross paths again; if you make it to Ostia."

"What an upset!" the announcer shouted as the crowd erupted with applause. "A complete upset!"

Waving to the crowd as they checked on their fallen opponents Negi and Kotaro basked in the glow of their first victory.

"Excuse me," a familiar voice called out. Looking up Negi spotted a succubus as she glided down from the announcer's box. "I need an interview with the winning team." After a few moments the announcer landed gracefully in front of them. "Congratulations on a well fought debut! You defeated not only the heavily favored Team Geolu, but also beat Team Korwin; and you managed it by knocking out both teams unassisted! Everyone wants to know who you are as we're sure to see a lot more of you in the days to come."

Hesitating, Kotaro glanced at Negi before turning his attention back to the interviewer. "I'm Kojirou; Kojirou Oogami. Make sure you remember it!" Flashing his best winning smile he gave the camera the thumbs up.

Making sure that the crowd had time to absorb his response the interviewer turned to Negi. "And your name?"

Pausing, Negi knew that he needed to take advantage of the situation that had presented itself. As this was the final large tournament before Ostia it was due to be televised, or whatever it was called here.

"Um – your name is…"

"Excuse me," he whispered as he took the microphone from her. "My name is… Nagi Springfield."

* * *

"My name is Nagi Springfield," the image on the magical television-like device said.

"Did you just say 'Nagi Springfield'?" the announcer turned interviewer asked. "That's the same name as the Thousand Master. Could you be related? Now that you mention it, you're the splitting image of him… "

Trying to deflect her question Nagi shrugged as he put his hand behind his head. "Nah – it's just a chance resemblance."

Watching the replay of the interview Ranma couldn't help but shake his head. _That kid looks a lot like Negi_. Sitting in the tavern Ranma in his girl form had not expected anything like this when he first sat down. Though he had initially dismissed the fight as background noise the mention of Team Negima had caught his attention. Though the match itself was nothing spectacular, the results were definitely jaw dropping. There was obviously something about this Nagi Springfield that captivated the crowd, but what Ranma wasn't sure of. All he knew was that the fighters had something to do with Kotaro and Negi, and Club Negima. From what he could hear around the tavern more fighters were planning to enter the various tournaments just for a chance to fight Nagi in the Ostia Championship Tournament.

Slowly everything clicked. Taking several minutes to process his thoughts Ranma slowly finished his meal before leaving the pub to check on his purchases. Seeing that his goods had been packed up Ranma signaled the waitress and paid his tab. "Thanks."

"Oy, Sonya!" Looking up Ranma spotted a one horned beastman standing by his lizard.

"Oh, sorry," the beastman said as he sniffed the air. "It's hard to keep track of a succubus, much less a team of them. I thought you were one of the Vixens; your scent is similar, but I couldn't tell the difference until I got close."

Nodding Ranma was about to leave when the beastman sniffed the air again. "I'm sure you're one of the Vixens though. They have this distinct scent that you have too. I may not recognize your scent, but I know the scent that is the Scarlet Vixens trademark."

"I'm new," Ranma lied.

"Really? I didn't think that Scarlett was recruiting." Turning to his companions the beastman shouted, "Hey Hakkon, the Vixens are recruiting!"

"Were," Ranma stated as the beastman's companion walked over. "And Scarlett's no longer leading the group." Eyeing the tall man Ranma tried to get a good read on his features. Catching the subtle shifting of features he realized that the man before him as some sort of shape-shifter.

"I heard that Scarlett was going after that big bounty they posted recently," the man called Hakkon stated. "I hear that the bounty's still up, and that they recently increased it." Slapping a recent reward posting onto the lizard's saddle he eyed Ranma. "It's not like Scarlett to let a bounty get away. Actually, I don't think she's ever let one get away unless it was a girl."

"Scarlett's dead," Ranma stated coldly. He hated the fact that he had to admit that fact; especially since he was the one that killed her.

Snapping his head a he turned to look at Ranma the large beastman looked him in the eyes. "What did you say!" he shouted more in denial of the truth than questioning it.

Never one to lie well, Ranma decided that it was best to be honest and simply omit select parts. "She went after this one," he stated as he pointed to a rough picture of him in his male form. "He managed to mortally wound her and the others. I'm all that's left."

Glancing at his beastman companion Hakkon nodded.

_A familiar and master?_ Ranma thought to himself as he watched the exchange. Having spent so much time with Nasham and Lynx, he'd finally managed to pick up on the subtle hints that they exchanged.

"Thanks…" Hakkon said as he fished for Ranma's name.

"Ranko," he replied.

"Thank you Ranko," Hakkon finished. Turning to his companion Hakkon patted him on the shoulder before leading him away. "We're going to have to call everyone in for this. If he took out Scarlett and the girls, and Nasham and Lynx, he's more than we can handle alone."

Ranma found it odd that Hakkon had said it loud enough for him to hear. _If they actually were master and familiar then he wouldn__'__t need to say it out loud._ Feeling the need to get away Ranma gathered his things and headed out to the pack-lizard and his newly acquired supplies.

"Thanks, here's the rest of the money," Ranma said as he handed over the remaining drachma to the merchant.

"Pleasure doing business with you," the portly merchant said as he counted the payment. "Anything else you'll need?"

Grabbing the reigns to the pack-lizard Ranma paused. "Yeah, what do you know about a bounty hunter called Hakkon?"

* * *

"Heres's your share Nodoka," said Lynn, handing the younger girl her share of the pay for their adventure.

"Oh, no, I couldn't take that much," the mousy girl replied. Fingering the Auris Lectans, Nodoka knew that she'd gotten more then enough.

"Don't worry," Christian added," since you've joined up with us we're getting so much more then we used to for these little jaunts."

"That's alright," she repeated. They probably would have gotten more if she had included the artifact that she'd kept. As it was the artifact was worth more then the share that they had offered her. With no researcher among them the group had been forced to rely on the instinct as they dealt with the merchants when they returned with their treasure. After picking up several books it was clear to the mousy librarian that the group had received the short end of the bargaining stick on virtually every transaction.

Even with her new artifact Nodoka knew that she had a long ways to go. Pulling out her stack of books Nodoka began to page through it as she searched for other artifacts that could enhance her skills. Though she was far from a frontline fighter, she knew that her skills could be useful to her teammates as she could forewarn them of their opponents' attacks.

Seeing Nodoka's seriousness Craig shook his head. _Put a book in front of her and she gets so serious_. Grabbing a tray of food he set it beside the girl's stack of books. Sensing the food Nodoka reached out and grabbed a sandwich, unconsciously taking a bite before setting it down and grabbing a drink. _At least her body still knows when she__'__s hungry_.

* * *

Looking over her map Mana couldn't help but think that Negi had taken a huge risk. Even with his meager disguise she had easily picked up on the fact that Nagi was in fact Negi. Takahata was right; joining up with Negi would put them all at risk.

Sitting down across from the scruffy blond, the mercenary laid out the reward poster.

"What's up?" Takahata asked as he puffed on his cigarette.

"It's the new reward poster," she stated.

Glancing at the poster he let out a short burst of smoke. "The rewards on him tripled?" Tapping Ranma's posting he whistled. Glancing from Negi and Kotaro's posting to Ranma's Takahata took a casual drag on his cigarette.

"Word is that he took out two fairly powerful bounty hunter teams," the raven haired mercenary explained. "There's talk that several more prominent teams are going to work together to go after him. With the size of the bounty on his head, it's understandable. While it may not be as big as the prize from the Ostia Championship Tournament, it's more then enough for any serious team to consider especially since they're not limited to just two members fighting at a time."

Exhaling, the scruffy blond nodded in understanding as he considered their options. "I think our best option is to get someone we trust to pass a message to Ranma before he goes to Ostia. And I think I know just the man."

* * *

"It seems like the tides are turning in our favor," Kazumi stated as she looked over the informational brochures that Ranma had brought back from his recent trip into town. "Ostia used to be the capital city of a country that doesn't exist anymore. It even had a Gateport before the war some twenty odd years ago, though it's been abandoned since the end of the war."

Ranma listened offhandedly as Kazumi rattled off things about Ostia. Unable to shake the feeling that something was wrong he had picked up something just in case.

"So we're headed to Ostia," Ako stated as Kazumi finished presenting them with their options.

"Ostia!" the other girls chorused.

Not hearing Ranma's voice Akira turned to look at him. Seeing him deep in though she knew that something was wrong. "Ranma?"

"I think that we should head for Ostia," he agreed. "But there are some things that we need to take care of first."

"I definitely agree!" a strange voice shouted in agreement.

"So, you're finally showing yourself," Ranma said as he turned to face the stowaway.

"Hey Ranma, hey girls," the pervert ermine said as he climbed on top of the table.

"Chamo!" Kazumi shouted as she greeted her sometimes partner in crime.

"It talks!" Ako shouted as she pointed at Negi's familiar.

"So you knew I was following you?" the ermine asked as he lit up a cigar.

"I knew something followed me, but your presence was so small that I knew it wasn't a threat," Ranma stated. "I just hoped you weren't with Hakkon and the Malicious Reapers."

"And if I were?" Chamo asked?

"Actually, I was thinking we need to sell the airship and get a different one," Ranma replied. "Too many people associate this airship with the Scarlett Vixens."

"What about just getting an overhaul?" Haruna asked. The thought of replacing the airship just didn't sit right with her. Maybe it was the memories that she'd had inside of it that called out for her to keep it, but she knew that Ranma had a good reason for suggesting what he did.

"I also think that we need to either limit who goes into town until we reach Ostia, and once we do get there some of us will need to wear disguises of some sort to hide who we are."

Reaching into his pocket Ranma tossed Haruna and Kazumi two small jars. "Those are called 'Succubus Pills', they'll allow you to change your appearance for four hours at a time."

"How'd you get so many of those?" Chamo asked in surprise. "Those things are really expensive."

"Lynx and Nasham had a crate of them," Ranma explained. "Now, there's one other matter." Pulling out two magical forms Ranma set them down.

"You're going to make a pactio?" Chamo asked.

Ranma shrugged as he avoided making eye contact with Akira, Haruna, and Kazumi. "There are going to be times when we'll need to contact each other, and as long as we're close enough it should work."

"Wait a minute," the ermine shouted as he glanced at Ranma. "When did you develop magical powers?

* * *

"Why did we come here?" the gray haired girl pouted as she paused to catch her breath.

"If I remember correctly you were going on about how much you loved this place just a few days ago," the taller blond girl replied despite knowing that her companion would still continue to complain about their situation. As the oldest of the girls it was her responsibility to ensure that they all got home safely. "Besides, I'm sure you don't have to carry Cocone around."

"But she's so small," the younger girl replied, "and I am her ministra."

Nodding, the small dark skinned girl clung tighter to her ministra.

"I have to get home," the quiet brunette muttered as she tried to catch up with the other girls.

Eyeing the foreign exchange student Takane offered her a supportive smile. "Don't worry, we'll find a way back."

"I can't believe we had to leave Megawhachamacallit…" the gray haired girl moaned. "What happened to our great vacation? It was supposed to be fun and relaxing, not… not this."

"Megalomesembria," Takane corrected. "I don't think anyone expected this. If I had I wouldn't have come; none of us would have."

"Do you really think that Negi-sensei had something to do with the incident at the Gateport?" Misora asked meekly as they started hiking again.

The smaller dark haired girl shrugged.

"Negi-sensei might be a bit naive, but he's not a bad person," the blond replied. "I heard that during the field trip to Kyoto his class was attacked by some rogue faction of mages. And then after they came back there was another incident where the same group attacked the school. I think that Negi-sensei might be our best chance at getting to the bottom of this."

Nodding Misora knew that many of her classmates were probably no better off then she was.

* * *

The scorching hot desert sun the cool shade offered by the café was a welcome boon to the many travelers and workers that frequented the small oasis.

_You__'__re sure about this?_ Ranma asked his provincial partner as the perverted ermine ran up his arm and perched onto his shoulder.

_Definitely_, Kazumi replied. _The little spy satellites that I get from my artifact Raven's Eye found them. But I wouldn__'__t have found them if Chamo hadn__'__t provided us with the lead we needed to find them. We__'__re just lucky that he pointed out the rough area that the oasis was in_.

Shrugging his shoulder Ranma almost knocked the ermine off his shoulder. "Sorry about that," he quickly said as he felt Chamo tug on his cloak. _I__'__ll let you know how things go. Just keep an eye out-_

_Don__'__t worry, _the spunky brunette replied_, I__'__ll see anyone long before they even know that we__'__re even here. And I__'__ll keep an eye on the oasis to make sure no one__'__s setting up a trap for you._

_Okay, thanks_. Leading Ako and Akira into the tavern, Ranma in his female form quickly found a vacant table.

Seating themselves the girls looked around for a menu.

"I can't believe how much you've matured," Chamo chuckled as he ran onto the table and looked Ranma over again. "Before we left Japan you'd run the other way before even thinking of kissing anyone."

Swatting at the annoying ermine Ranma scanned the crowd visually before following up with a telepathic scan. Undisciplined in the use of that aspect of his new abilities Ranma couldn't sort out the jumble of thoughts.

Following Ranma's lead Chamo began to sniff the air. "They're here."

Trusting the ermine's sense of smell Ranma relaxed a bit. Closing his eyes he tried to sort out and differentiate the many thoughts.

…_I can__'__t believe they__'__re from the old world__…_

… _he was right; the girls here are really cute__…_

…_if I brought that bounty in I__'__d have enough to buy an airship__…_

…_what did he do to get such a large bounty put on his head?_

…_don__'__t they know what sexual harassment is here?_

…_those girls are so cute__…_

…_that dark hair girl has such supple breasts__…_

…_freckles are so cute__…_

…_I think Yuna__'__s breasts are getting bigger__…_

…_this pan-fried drake heart is great!_

…_I wouldn__'__t have to work for a few years if I brought in that bounty__…_

…_she__'__s so cute even though she has such small boobs__…_

…_it costs so much to go to Ostia__…_

…_that redhead is so sexy!_

…_Nagi is so cool__…_

…_I wish I could fight like that__…_

…_Johnny-san is such a pervert__…_

…_she__'__s got such a nice ass__…_

…_hmmm, work it baby__…_

Shuddering Ranma felt as though he'd just slipped into Happosai's mind. Were grown men really this perverted? It was as though they were all junior versions of the old Anything Goes Grandmaster. At least they weren't groping anyone or running around with women's undergarments.

"They're definitely here," Ranma stated as he closed his mind and disengaged from all the perverted thoughts streaming through the café.

"I've never seen you blush before," Ako said as she stifled a chuckle.

"You're so cute!" Natsumi added.

Quickly scanning the area Ranma could tell that his female form was now garnering a lot of attention as his hormone and pheromones were working overtime as he blushed. Taking several deep breaths Ranma tried to calm down as he hoped to avoid drawing too much attention.

"Hi," a familiar voice greeted, "how can I… Akira? Ako? Natsumi? Oh my god! What are you doing here?"

Screams of excitement and joy erupted from the corner booth that they had inhabited as the girls from 3-A greeted each other, Yuna and Makie introduced their friends to their customers, and the customers started hitting on the girls.

Realizing that the café's two most popular girls were working their final day at the café the regular and visiting patrons slowly began to bid the girls farewell. Despite the customers' sorrow at having to part with the two beauties the crowd joked and flirted with the pair the entire time; all the while making them earn their large tips. Not wanting the girls to work too hard Ranma lent a hand. Having worked the Cat Café many times under the old ghoul's supervision the boy turned girl was used to working a large, flirtatious and demanding crowd.

"That was our best night by far," the cat woman stated. "We've never been this busy before." In all her years as the owner of the café she'd never had a day like today. "I'm really going to miss you girls. And your friends too!"

Sitting back with their feet soaking in a relaxing tub the girls nodded. "Thanks for helping out," Makie added as she set down drinks for everyone. "You really didn't have to you know."

"Thanks," Akira replied. "But we couldn't leave you two to handle that crowd all alone."

"I'm really going to miss you girls," the owner repeated.

"Well, we could stay for a few more days," Chamo replied as he counted the tips that the girls had earned. "This would go a long way towards our expenses."

Ranma raised his brow as he thought things over. Slowly each of the girls turned to look at him. "I guess we could stay a few more days."

* * *

I hope everyone liked the chapter. I'll try to get another one up in the next few weeks.

Please Read and Review.

Dreamingfox


	10. Chapter 10

Author's notes –

Thanks for reading the fic. I hope everyone enjoys reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it.

And of course thanks to my beta readers – KitsuneOverlord and Teturo.

And while I realize that Ranma's birthday isn't set, I'm following my beta's advice and setting Ranma's birthday in the fic as August 11th. Oh, and in case I haven't mentioned this before Ranma's 17

I must amend a statement that I had earlier made in a previous author's note – I will be bringing at least one or more characters from Ranma ½ into the fic. I hope that everyone liked Kasumi's quick cameo. No, she won't be a regular character, but we might see more of her in one form or another. I will also keep the fic at the present rating.

Of course, I don't own anything of the characters from either Ranma ½ or from Negima.

For those who are wondering –

Ranma is magistra to Nekane; Kazumi is minstra to Ranma, and the other one is yet to be revealed.

Asuna, Konoka, Setsuna, Chisame, Haruna, Yue, and Nodoka are all minstra to Negi.

Ku Fei, Kazumi, and Haruna stayed behind with the airship when Ranma, Akira, Ako, Natsumi and Chamo went to the café to get Makie and Yuna.

Yue, Anya, Kaede, and Konoka are unaccounted for while Asuna and Setsuna are together on their way to Ostia.

Please read and review as I'm always open to hear what you think of this fic, good or bad.

* * *

Staring up at the monitor the robed man smiled as he watched the present sensation that was causing a stir in the prize fighting circles. Watching the rookie team's amateurish attacks he smirked as he watched the opposing team fall. _Draw the opponent in then use overwhelming speed to throw the enemy off then follow up with a direct attack before distancing yourself to cast a spell_. _Power yes; skill yes; technique and experience, no, _the fighter thought as he reviewed the fight.

"Good afternoon Nagi," the interviewer shouted on the monitor. "We're doing a national broadcast today."

"National broadcast?" a bewildered Nagi replied as he and Kojirou waved to the crowd of their adoring fans and more.

Half a nation away another set of eyes stared at another monitor for a completely different reason then the first set of eyes.

"Maki-san, Yuna-san! Are you watching? Akira-san, Ako-san! I know that you're all out there, I just hope you're all watching!" Nagi shouted as he grabbed the microphone like device from the succubus. "It's me, Nagi! Your teacher is right here with me!"

Watching the girls' faces as they stared at the monitor Ranma knew that the group would soon be back on the move. The five girls gathered around each other, holding each others hands as they listened to Negi's "cousin" as he called out to them on their sensei's behalf.

"Let's meet in one month at the start of the Ostia tournament," Nagi continued despite the protests of the interviewer. "Please don't worry about getting back to the academy! I'm looking forward to seeing you at the tournament!"

Relinquishing the microphone Nagi tossed it back to the dark skinned succubus. Rushing to keep up with Nagi she shouted, "What was that just now, a shout out to your training partners? Teammates? Or girlfriends?"

"Haha, something like that."

"Wow, what a scoop!"

Letting out a cheer the girls started jumping around; much to the pleasure of the many adoring men in the café.

* * *

Slipping away from the roar of the crowd Negi and Kotaro made their way back to their locker room. Rubbing his wrist the hanyo yawned. "They weren't too bad."

"Her shadows kinda reminded me of someone," Negi remarked as he unbuckled his gauntlet.

"That girl from the K.O. Tournament," Kotaro replied as he untied his shirt. Grabbing a jar of healing salve he carefully applied it to the burns on his forearm.

"Good job," Chisame greeted as she entered the changing room. "Everyone should see the national broadcast."

"From what I can tell everyone should be within broadcast range," Chachamaru added, reinforcing her classmate's statement.

"With this we've completed the first stage of our strategy," Negi replied as he put some ointment on his hands. "I just hope everyone saw it."

"I'm sure that they did," Kotaro stated. "And now they'll all know to head to Ostia."

"We should be able to use the abandoned gate there to get home," Chachamaru added. "The research I've conducted suggests that the gate there is still functional but was abandoned shortly after the war ended nearly twenty years ago."

"Just one more month," Negi said firmly, "plenty of time for everyone to find a way to get there."

"Yeah, we don't have to worry since we won the tournament," the dog demon stated. "As the winners of the Granicus region we have all our travel and lodging expenses covered. And the bonus training we're getting is gonna help a lot when we face off against Fate and his crew again. Things are really turning in our favor!"

Nodding Negi was encouraged by his companions' positive attitudes. "One more month, then we'll be in Ostia with everyone."

* * *

Sipping on her tea the raven haired beauty felt her heart skip a beat as she watched the monitor. Taking a claiming breath she smiled as she considered her options. Her work as a healer barely sustained her minimal expenses much less any traveling expenses. Though several bounty hunters teams and groups of adventures had offered to take her with them Konoka wasn't sure that traveling with either hunters or adventures was the best thing for her.

"That's her," she heard someone say.

Wary of drawing attention to herself she tried to casually look through the crowd. Spotting a wolfish looking beastman she noted that he was pointing somewhere left of where she was sitting. Relieved that he was not pointing at her she followed his eyes and spotted a large crowd.

"That's the dragon-slayer?" the beastman's taller elf companion asked. "She's so young."

Unable to make out the object of the pair's attention the raven haired girl stood up. Despite the ninja girl's height she was easily dwarfed by the group of bulky guardsmen at the eastern gate to the settlement.

Slowly making her way towards the growing crowd she slowly made out the familiar form of her classmate. "Kaede!"

"Konoka!"

* * *

Watching her friend gazing at the monitor so intently, the young beast girl wondered just how her new friend had managed to know nothing about one of the largest fan girl clubs in the world. Sure, Yue had literally fallen from the sky and had her memories of herself magically erased, but to forget who Nagi Springfield was? That was just so wrong! If there was anything for the Yue to know about, it was definitely who Nagi Springfield was and why he was so cool; so cool that others apparently were trying to take advantage of the Thousand Master's fame just for some glory in the arena.

* * *

Standing with his eyes closed Ranma the cursed boy tried to not focus. Calming his mind he tried to relax. Though he enjoyed working at The Nameless Café there were some minor drawbacks. Chief among them was being around a bunch of perverted old men who could think of little else beyond the supple flesh and curves of the young girls serving them. Despite his growing control over his pheromones Ranma knew that being around all those perverted men in his female form was tempting the fates. Only his fighter's reflexes, speed, dexterity, and the stern reprimands from Nisa, the cat woman owner of the café, had kept the more rowdy patrons' hands at bay. Unfortunately Ranma's control over his hormones was delicate at best whenever Nisa or any other cat person was around. While he could follow the directions of the cooks in the kitchen, working around several cat people seemed to be an even worse idea then working on the café floor with Nisa.

Taking a deep, relaxing breath, Ranma enjoyed the warm desert sand beneath his bare feet as he tried to forget the dirty feeling he had from working around all those perverted old men. Savoring the warmth of the hot desert sun on his skin Ranma closed his eyes as he took another deep breath.

Hoping to catch him off guard Ku Fei hit the seemingly defenseless Ranma with the most powerful attack in her arsenal. Discharging her ki she felt Ranma reel from the force of the hit. Suddenly Ranma appeared beside her as he unleashed a barrage of precise strikes at the Chinese martial artist as he forced her back. Leaping back Ranma relaxed as he put his hand behind his head.

"Not bad," Ranma stated before yawning. It took a moment for Ku Fei to realize that Ranma had tagged her several times with his red stamp. "Even with my guard down I managed to pull up a strong defense against your strike. If you can pull off a string of those attacks then you'll definitely break through any defense, the problem is that you're only able to get one and don't follow it up."

Ku Fei nodded as she considered the more experienced fighter's advice. Though she had managed to force Fate back once she had not been able to follow up due to the fact that the attack had left her drained. She had never expected to actually use the move in a real fight, much less that her opponent would withstand it; it was supposed to be a finishing hit, but against the much more powerful fighter like Fate the move had proven to be anything but. If not for the subsequent attacks by her teammates she would have been completely exposed and defenseless against the mysterious boy and his companions.

Though she had only met Ranma a few short weeks (or was it months now?) Ku Fei knew better then to ask Ranma for an answer to her problem. While Ranma appeared to be little more then a muscle headed jock he was surprisingly perceptive in matters of breaking down fights and techniques, the cursed boy was best when thinking on his feet in the middle of a fight.

Sighing Ku Fei sat down, unsure what she needed to do. _Have I hit my brick wall?_

* * *

Despite the cool and arid desert breeze the calming bath was proving to be anything but relaxing. Hearing the high pitched giggles of the girls on the other side of the wall the ermine squirmed. While running around on the floor had provided him with a great view of the girls' panties, avoiding the many pairs of feet stomping around the café as well as trying to chase the girls around the café made it that much more difficult to get a good view. Compared to the baths the café wasn't worth the effort. Panty shots were nice, but seeing the bare supple flesh of young, beautiful girls made everything else pale in comparison.

Shaking himself dry Chamo scanned the area. Stuck on the balcony with a large bowl of piping hot water the ermine scoffed at the notion that he was merely a pet/familiar and had to be segregated from the others. Climbing up the wall he spotted the wards protecting the window to the bathroom. Feeling the claws of past prowlers who had tried to access the bathroom via the window Chamo knew that the window would not provide him with a means of entering into the bathroom. Eyeing the wards and runes he could see that the window also had an obscuring spell to keep anyone from peeping or even scrying, not that he'd resort to either of those methods; a true master enjoyed things in person, not through some monitor or telescope.

Inside said bathroom Natsumi relaxed as she tried to sooth her sore feet as she slipped into the hot water. "I think Johnny's right," she stated as Yuna slipped out of her towel, "your boobs are bigger."

Laughing off her friend's comment Yuna hoped that the other sports girls wouldn't make such a big deal of her growing breasts.

"You know, I think you're right," Makie added as she massaged her calves. "I didn't notice it before because there was so much going on, but now that I have a chance to look at them I think Johnny-san's right."

"So you're listening to perverts now," Yuna laughed as she tried to evade and deflect the conversation.

Sliding beside her long-time friend Makie turned so that she could look Yuna in the eye. Eyeing her bouncy friend skeptically she reached out and squeezed one of the startled girl's breasts. "I wish my boobs were as big and perky as yours!"

"I don't," Ako interjected as she washed Akira's back, "I'd love to have Ranko's smooth, shiny skin."

Nodding silently Akira blushed as she thought of her crush/semi-boyfriend in his female form. Having rubbed up against Ranko's breasts she knew just how silky smooth her skin was, not to mention how firm and full her breasts were. Sure, Ranko couldn't completely control her succubus powers and change her form/appearance at will, but she had taken on a very attractive visage.

"It must be nice to have a guy like him," Ako stated, "since he's half girl you can take him shopping and do girl things with him."

"But it's gotta suck that he looks better as a girl then you," Natsumi teased. "But at least he should know how a girl's body works…"

Akira blushed at the insinuation. _I really don't want to go there_… Grabbing the bucket of water she had set beside her to rinse off with Akira quickly poured it over her head.

Seeing her friend so worked up Yuna smiled, "Do you like him better as guy or as a girl?"

Feeling as though she was just hit with a bat over the head Akira's mind reeled as she fought to control her thoughts and feelings. Somehow her friends managed to get her more worked up then Ranma's occasionally raging hormones and pheromones.

Hearing Nisa's heavy footsteps as she approached the balcony door Chamo knew that the girls were exiting the bathroom. Dashing back to the balcony the ermine pretended to be finishing with his bath as the café owner began to open the door. _I'll have to check out the bathroom to get a better lay of the protective wards and spells on it_.

* * *

Standing over the table Fate looked down at his map of the world. Snapping his fingers he watched as several black markings appeared and moved over the illusionary map. Noting the regions that the markers were placed, he snapped his fingers again so that several white markers appeared, and then snapped them again so that several blue markers appeared. Taking a moment to assess the positions of the various players, his expressionless face never wavering, Fate snapped his fingers again, dispelling the illusion.

* * *

Dashing through the dark maze the slender shadow followed the sound of light footfalls on the hard stone of the tunnels. Reaching a fork in the path the shadow paused. Listening she heard the echoing sound of her prey's fleeing footsteps mixed with heavy breathing. Conjuring a shadowy sword the predator plunged it into the stone beneath her. Turning the shadow vanished into the passageway leading south to her right.

Moving silently the shadow stopped as she approached another fork. Focusing she listened for the now familiar sound of her prey. Conjuring a second shadowy sword she again pierced the rocky ground beneath her; letting ground absorb the energy sword.

Conjuring a steel blade she purposely ran down the tunnel to her left, dragging the rusty sword behind her as she went. The sound of her blade clanging against the rough stone of the passageway and her heavy footsteps slowly combined with her smaller prey's now frantic footsteps and breathing.

Reaching several more forks in the underground tunnels she stopped to conjure more shadowy swords, stabbing the earth at each intersection before rushing into the dark maze. Purposely keeping a good distance from her prey the shadow herded the young girl towards one of the many intersections.

"Ah!"

_The trap is sprung_, the shadow thought as she smirked. Knowing that her prey had managed to avoid serious injury the shadow slowly continued to stalk her prey. Fate had made it clear that he wanted the girl alive. The traps would be painful at best as they were not meant to incapacitate or injure, merely inconvenience and induce pain; a lot of pain.

"Ah!"

Frowning the shadow rushed towards the source of the cry. Reaching the intersection she scowled as she noted the unconscious form of her prey. _Only two!_

Disappointed the shadow examined the prey. _Clearly I had overestimated her_.

Shrugging the shadow picked up the unconscious girl before teleporting out.

* * *

Looking over his opponents Negi couldn't help but shrug as he gauged their power. While the lizard woman appeared to be the fighter of the pair it was clear that she had more then just enchanted or magically enhanced defensive wards protecting her from any magical attacks. The dryad beside her appeared to be the cleric/mage of the duo. Depending on the dryad's level of control it was possible that the mage could use each appendage to cast a glyph or rune spell. Exuding a large magical aura the dryad didn't appear to be in Negi or Kotaro's league.

Still, Negi knew not to judge the pair on just their apparent power levels. The team was desperate to earn an invitation to the Ostia Championship Tournament. Then again, all the teams in the smaller tournaments were.

"I can't believe how easy it was for us to get an invite to the Ostia," Kotaro stated as he stifled a yawn. "While it was nice to work out some frustration, I thought that we'd get more of a work out from those chumps!"

Watching the opposing pair Negi nodded. "That part of the plan really went easier then expected."

Charging the supposedly nonchalant rookie pair the veteran team hoped to take advantage of their lack of focus.

Standing their ground the Team Negima pair let the opposing team's magical barrage collide with them.

"Is that the end of Team Negima?" the announcer shouted as the roaring crowd suddenly became silent. "A rookie mistake – misjudging their opponents Team Negima appears to have lost!"

As the startled but relieved dryad and lizard woman began to wave at the loudly booing crowd a pair of hands emerged from the ground grabbing the lizard woman's stout legs and dragging her into the ground. Leaping to the side the dryad stretched its roots as it narrowly avoided falling into the magical pit that suddenly appeared beneath it. Freezing in its tracks the dryad trembled as flaming hands encircled its trunk.

Without its magical defenses there was little chance that it could survive being burned by magical fire. "I give."

* * *

Sitting in the smoky pub the hunter scowled. While there were some who preferred the scent of cigar or cigarette smoke the hunter was not one of them. Exhaling loudly he knew that it would take a good long bath to get rid of the smell of the smoke.

"So?" the man seated across from the hunter asked. "Can you do this for me?"

Looking down at the reward poster the hunter turned to look at his partner before scratching his neck. Turning to face his guest he scratched his cheek. "You're serious about this?"

Through the dark, smoke hazed air the hunter could barely make out the slight nod from his guest.

"This is a huge bounty on your boy that we're turning down," the hunter stated. "What you're offering us isn't even close to a third of the bounty on him."

Taking a puff from his cigarette the scruffy man enjoyed the nicotine buzz before even trying to respond. "True," he finally admitted, "but how much do you think your life is worth?"

Baring his fangs at the perceived threat the hunter dug his nails into the table.

"I'm not the one you should be afraid of," the smoker stated. Taking another long drag he eyed the bounty hunter. "You know that he took out the Vixens; do you seriously think that you can take him, even with your motley coalition? He took out six A Class fighters; he's probably at least AA Class himself, probably AAA Class if the Vixens are bound to him. I figure only two of you are AA, the rest are A at best. Even with your numbers you couldn't take him."

Retracting his claws the hunter glanced at his partner. Nodding grimly the hunter knew that the man across from him was right. "You know that Silver won't let it go easily."

Tapping his cigarette against the tray the scruffy man nodded. "I know. And nothing I say to him would convince him or his pack otherwise. I just want you to pass this message to my man. It might save the lives of your teammates."

"Fine, we'll relay the message," the beast man replied as he took the payment. "But if Silver catches wind of this I'm sending him after you. You know he'll try to get everything you know about Ranma out of you."

* * *

A/N –

Sorry for the short chapter. I know things are getting slightly hectic with the holidays but figured I could at least get one chapter up before Christmas.

I might still be able to get another one out before Christmas, but with all the work and shopping I still have to do… Not to mention the snow storms…

Anyways, if I don't get another chapter up by the end of the year then I wish all you readers out there "Happy Holidays!"

Stay safe, enjoy the time off (for those who have days off) and best wishes to you all in the New Year.

Dreamingfox


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Notes

I of course do not own either Ranma ½ or Negima or any of the characters.

While I'm not exactly sure how power levels are classified in Negima, I assume that it's similar to YYH's system of D, C, B, A, AA, etc., Class system.

And while I realize that Ranma's birthday isn't set, I'm following my beta's advice and setting Ranma's birthday in the fic as August 11th.

Thanks of course go to my betas KitsuneOverlord and Teturo.

As always, please Read and Review.

* * *

Sifting through the fog of the dreamscape Ranma slowly began to recognize the succubae within his subconscious mind. While the succubae each shifted between various forms he come distinguish them not on their appearance but on their distinct auras. Expecting to see them peeping in on one of the girls' dreams Ranma hoped that he had picked the right time to go to sleep. Seeing them in a near guarded stance the cursed boy knew that something was wrong.

"Ranma!" Lynx shouted as the vampire turned to face the young fighter.

Peering through the fog, Ranma realized just why the succubae weren't looking into the girls' dreams as a semi-familiar figure stood before the vampire. "Hakkon."

"Ranma," the incubus returned. "I have a message for you."

Raising his brow Ranma eyed the bounty hunter.

"This is the dreamscape, I couldn't hurt you here even if I wanted to," the incubus stated. "I can only locate you if you happen to tell me where you are. Don't worry; I can't use telepathy on you here."

Putting his hand on the vampire's shoulder Ranma faced the demon. "What's the message?"

Tossing a small pouch to Ranma the incubus shrugged, "I haven't looked at it myself since its keyed specifically to your subconscious."

Turning his back to Ranma and the others Hakkon started to walk away. "I'm glad I came though," he stated as he walked away, "now I know that you've bound my sisters."

Waiting for the incubus to disappear into the haze Ranma turned to face Lynx and Sonya, the leader of the succubae.

"Demons rarely are loyal to their siblings," Lynx stated. "Succubae and incubi are though. Still, Sonya and the others are bound to you; binding overrides any previous loyalties or oaths they may have with anyone else."

Taking the vampire's knowledge at face value Ranma shrugged as he looked at the magical package. "So what is this?"

"It's a dream." Walking over to the cursed boy the lead succubus glanced at the glowing ball in the boy's hand. "There's probably a message for you in the dream."

"It's a dream," Lynx stated, reassuring Ranma. "You can't actually get hurt from a dream. You can mess with someone, but you can't hurt them."

"That's very reassuring," Ranma replied. Looking at the glowing ball in his hand the cursed boy realized he didn't know how to access the dream. "So how do I use this thing?"

* * *

Staring at the creamy white confection before her the diminutive cursed vampire sighed. Without her partner to assist her Eva was making little headway in researching Ranma's curse. _Maybe I should have kept the Library Trio behind_, she though as she scooped a hefty portion of almond pudding and shoveled it into her mouth.

Glancing at her companions she shrugged as she considered the prospects of her day. With most of her classmates either in England or the magic country, and the rest off on their individual or club trips only a handful of her present classmates were still on campus – Hakase Satomi, Satsuki Yotsuba, and Zazie Rainyday. Glancing at the tiny engineering genius, Eva hoped that Satomi could finish the adjustment on at least one of the second generation gynoids so that the vampire could have some assistance in her work.

Seeing the strange look that Zazie gave her Eva shrugged. "It's only my fourth," the tiny blond replied as she scooped up a second spoonful.

Seeing the foreign girl's blank stare still directed at her Eva slumped over and lay on the table. "I just need a distraction from all the research I'm doing. There's nothing to do, the only ones left are you gits; and honestly, you're no fun."

With her brain fried from the countless days and hours of researching in her magical castle Eva's mind struggled to find something to do. "Wha!" she stuttered as the day walking vampire spotted a black piglet carrying a stack of Benito boxes. _Why does that look like something I should know? Something Ranma told me… ah, the Spring of Drowned Piglet!_ _This could be interesting_.

* * *

"So what do we do now?" the Akira-succubus asked as she cradled Ranma's head in her lap.

"We can't access his dream, but with him locked away in the message we have free reign to do almost anything we want," Sonya replied as she eyed the fog around her.

The Kasumi-succubus cheered up at the prospect of running rampant through the dreams of the various girls that Ranma had kissed. "Did you know Ranma kissed a guy?"

Thankful that he was not standing when he heard that, Lynx looked up and saw the dream forming behind the Kasumi-succubus. "Mikado Sanzenin… why does that name sound familiar?" Pulling out the book that represented Ranma's memories the vampire paged through it. "I think that Ranma would love to know that you messed with that one's dreams."

* * *

Despite the respectable size of the café the living quarters above it barely managed to accommodate Makie and Yuna, much less Akira, Ako, and Natsumi. Still, they couldn't complain as the futon was large enough for all of them.

Nestled between Makie and Ako, the swimmer twitched in her sleep as she dreamed. Standing naked in a waterfall pond Akira waded deeper into the pool. Waste deep the swimmer crouched so that the water covered her breasts before kicking off as she started swimming freestyle. Casually slipping into a backstroke she completed a full lap of the pool before noticing that she wasn't alone.

Standing at the top of the small cliff Ranma leapt off, falling over thirty feet before gracefully curling into a fetal position. A giant spout of water erupted as Ranma cannonballed into the center of the pool. Shielding herself from the overwhelming splash caused by Ranma's forceful entrance into the pond Akira shook the excess water from her face. Watching as a female Ranma stood before her Akira blushed as she realized that they were both completely naked.

"Akira." Firm hands gripped her shoulders, drawing her closer to the seductive redhead.

"Ranma," she whispered as she pulled the smaller girl to her.

"Akira!" Firm hands on her shoulders shook her awake.

Shaking off the fog of sleep the swimmer found her companions kneeling over her. "Makie, Yuna, Natsumi?" Glancing again she realized that one of her classmates was missing. "Where's Ako?"

"Um," the missing girl barely managed to struggle against the larger girl's grip.

"You're holding onto her," Yuna explained.

Glancing down Akira realized that she was hugging the smaller Ako to her breasts.

Blushing, the taller girl quickly released the scarred girl before sitting up. "Sorry about that."

"Dreaming about Ran-ma," Yuna stated rather then asked.

"It must have been a very mature dream," Makie added.

"Must have been a very adult dream?" Natsumi teased.

* * *

Listening to the soothing music Kasumi casually followed Dr. Tofu's lead as the two danced a beautiful waltz. Sighing deeply the eldest Tendo daughter closed her eyes as she rested her head against her first love's chest. Expecting the feel of soft velvety fabric Kasumi was surprised to instead find the warm silky skin of a bare, firm chest.

"Ranma!" she exclaimed as she pushed away. Feeling his toned muscles under her hands Kasumi realized that she too was naked. "We shouldn't, you're promised to Akane."

"But to be a man amongst men I must satisfy my manly needs," Ranma replied as he gently lifted her off her feet. "And if I am to marry Akane than I must know how to satisfy her needs before we wed."

"Ranma," Kasumi protested. Blushing she knew that his logic was flawed, but somehow just couldn't resist.

* * *

Standing triumphant before the bloody and bruised Kodachi, Ukyo and Shampoo, Akane smirked as her defeated rivals groveled at her feet. Having bested not only one, but all three of her rivals she knew that she was unbeatable. Seeing Ranma's casual approach as the cursed boy leapt from rooftop to rooftop the youngest Tendo daughter grabbed a bucket of water.

"Akane!" the cursed boy shouted as he landed between her and the defeated rivals. "I knew you'd beat them!" Grabbing her hand he handed her an empty Benito box, "And the lunch you made me was delicious! Lets get married right away!"

Smirking Akane dumped the bucket over Ranma's head, turning him into her. Gazing at the now shorter girl Akane threw a wild punch at the other heir to the Anything Goes School. "Pervert!"

"You're so mean," Ranma screamed as she dodged several more of Akane's attacks. "Tomboy, you're built like a brick! You're so uncute!"

Leaping out of Akane's striking range Ranma gracefully landed beside the rejuvenated rivals. Standing tall in his male form Ranma shook his head as Akane regrouped for another attack. "Who could love someone like you? You can't cook, you can't fight, and I'm better looking than you too!"

"Airen is man enough for Shampoo!" the lavender haired Amazon declared as she hugged Ranma from behind.

"Ranma darling, as a man among men you're more than enough man to satisfy the three of us!" Kodachi declared as she grabbed his right arm.

"Ran-chan, there's more then enough of you to satisfy all our needs," Ukyo seconded as she grabbed onto his other arm.

"Pervert!" Akane screamed as Ranma glanced at the now naked girls latched onto him.

"Akane, face it, you'll never be able to compete with these girls," Ranma stated as he pulled Ukyo and Kodachi closer to him. "Not only are they better looking then you, but they can cook and fight! I don't know what I ever saw in you, you're uncute and built like a brick!"

Grabbing a tighter hold of Ranma the three naked rivals took turns kissing him. "I'm definitely going to be a man amongst men after tonight!"

* * *

Slipping out of the short haired girl's dream the succubae shook their collective heads.

"You'd think she was a nun." Shifting out of her assumed appearance as the psychotic younger Kuno, the oldest of the succubae sisters felt strangely dirty as she left the prude girl's dream.

"She so repressed!" Susan, the Ukyo-succubus, stated. "Just slipping into her dream makes me feel like I've done something wrong."

"She really is built like a brick," Brea, the Shampoo-succubus, added. "She can't cook, and she's so violent; you'd think she was the one who wanted to be 'a man amongst men'."

Half-listening to the succubae the vampire continued to page through Ranma's dream log. Unlike the succubae that could amuse themselves by sifting through the dreams of the people who Ranma had kissed when they were asleep, the vampire was left to other devices to entertain himself. Though he was primarily responsible for keeping the armor demon's berserker urges contained Lynx still managed to find time to sift through Ranma's memories.

Though Ranma had experienced so much his mind was very chaotic and disorganized. After just a few days in Ranma's subconscious the vampire found that the cursed boy didn't categorize his memories chronologically or even through order of most memorable which proved to be very vexing to the logical vampire. Like the chaos that enveloped his life Ranma's subconscious seemed to group memories as good or bad, then by relevance of the lesson/skill/technique that he had learned or used. As such all of Ranma's favorite memories revolved around the arts and proving himself against an opponent and the enjoyment or satisfaction that he had when he had bested an opponent or mastered a technique.

With Sonya's help the vampire was slowly starting to make sense of the disorder that was Ranma's subconscious. Unable to change or alter the memories of the vessel that contained them, the bound souls were able to access and view the memories without disturbing the cursed boy as he went about the day.

"Hey!" the vampire cried out as he found a particularly interesting dream in Ranma's dream log. "Look at this!"

* * *

It was rare for Akane wake up radiating so much rage and anger. Sleep was supposed to calm her, not make her more upset. Yet the disturbing image of Ranma entwined with the naked forms of Kodachi, Ukyo, and Shampoo had disturbed the youngest Tendo daughter.

While some would have attempted to analyze their dreams to find the cause of their unease, Akane was not built to analyze. No, Akane was built to focus her anger, not rationalize it. Muttering several curses, Akane gathered then focused her rage before slipping on her gi and heading down to the dojo to smash several dozen undeserving bricks.

* * *

Somewhere else in Japan a brown haired youth was enjoying his dream of several hundred attractive young maidens; each with a different shade of hair color, build, height, facial features, and personal style of dress.

Kissing the hand of a slender, leggy brunette the handsome youth slowly pulled her so that he could get a better look at her sharply defined face. Another beauty to add to my collection, he thought as he closed his eyes and kissed her red lips. Disengaging from the kiss Mikado Sanzenin opened his eyes so that he could take in the look of pleasant surprise on the beautiful brunette's face.

"I would date with you," the masculine brunette stated as he stared intently into Mikado's eyes.

Startled, Mikado tried to push off of the taller boy. Struggling to pull himself away the kiss stealing youth found himself surrounded by an army of youths wearing blue and dark gray kendo outfits.

"I love you, I would date with you," they all whispered soothingly.

Running frantically Mikado found himself in pool with the now bare-chested Kuno.

"I love you," Kuno whispered affectionately, "I would date with you."

"AAHHHH!"

* * *

Looking at the monitor Kazumi signed. As one of Ranma's partners the paparazzi girl knew better then to sleep when the succubus influenced cursed boy was asleep. Having had several interesting dreams starring herself and Ranma, Kazumi knew first hand how memorable her influenced dreams could be. While the perky brunette tended to enjoy those altered dreams, she had promised her partner that she would stay awake while the cursed boy slept.

Taking her eyes off the monitor she sighed as she though of what those seductive and sensual succubae would have made her dream. Given his lack of control over the succubae Ranma still was unable to keep the lustful demons from affecting the girls' dreams while he was awake. Sleeping while the girls were awake simply kept Ranma from actually intruding or entering into their dreams.

Casually brushing several black hairs back from Ranma's forehead she gently caressed his forehead and cheek. Despite appearing defenseless Kazumi knew that even asleep Ranma was able to dodge and evade nearly any attacks. And yet he had allowed her to brush back a few strands of hair. Perhaps the cursed boy had a valid reason to choose her as one of his perspective partners.

* * *

Entering the café the tracker noticeably sniffed the air, declaring himself to the other hunter teams in the eatery. Flashing a quick sign to the first lieutenant the tracker waited for the quick reply before heading over to a vacant table. Slowly the five member team seated themselves at their table.

Glancing over at the newest team to join in on the hunt Hakkon wondered if the new addition would live up to their reputation. Known as the Desert Vipers, the five lizard men were renown for their alchemic skills rather then their battle prowess. Having built their reputation as hired muscle they had recently taken on more local bounties as they began to establish their territory. If not for the fact that word of the elusive bounty being in the Vipers' territory Hakkon was sure that Silver would not have included the brash team in the temporary coalition.

Spotting the muscular beastman's signal the incubus moved over to the table reserved for the leaders of the various teams so that they could trade information and formulate some sort of plan for dealing with the bounty. Sitting beside his longtime friend, Hakkon settled down for what he hoped was another short meeting.

With few leads since his meeting with Takahata, the incubus had been forced to relay the information that Ranma was at least able to prevent the incubus from infiltrating his dreams. While the elusive boy was able to slip into the dreams of those he kissed because of the succubae that were bound to him, Ranma lacked the ability to purposely seek out individuals in the dreamscape. Being able to feed off the sexual desires of strangers, succubae and incubi were able to easily invade the dreams of anyone that lusted after them or whom they had marked, but they also had the ability to purposely invade and alter the dreams of complete stranger.

Listening to the other leaders repeating the same old information the incubus found himself unconsciously reading the thoughts of the other teams' second in command. Finding nothing of relevance he slowly began to withdraw from the others' minds before scanning the crowd for their surface thoughts.

…_the cute girls…_

…_Gateport incident…_

…_at the Nameless…_

…_Ostia Tournament…_

…_expensive airship…_

…_Yuna's breasts…_

…_Team Negima…_

…_new bounty postings…_

…_return to old world…_

…_just one grab…_

…_scorpions attacked the caravan…_

…_shapely legs…_

…_huge bounty…_

…_damned lakni…_

…_summer vacation…_

…_Minerva Cup…_

…_Team Korwin…_

…_getting back to Mahora…_

…_Ostia to meet up with Negi…_

…_cute ass…_

…_perky breasts…_

Snapping to attention Hakkon tried to retrace his telepathic scan.

_I'm sure Negi-sensei has some sort of plan to get us back to the old world_.

_I can't believe so many of your classmates were on the reward posters Misora-chan. But who's that Ranma guy? He's not one of the students_.

"Neither is Kotaro, but he has been hanging out with Negi-sensei a lot lately," the short haired girl replied.

Spotting the quartet of girls seated at one of the tables by the eastern wall of the building the incubus signaled the other at the table. Discreetly the leaders signaled their teams all the while continuing their discussion.

* * *

"Ahh!"

"Pervert!"

"Peeping tom!"

"Flasher!"

"No, you don't understand!" a well muscled youth shouted as he ran from the horde of girls in the bathhouse.

Aside from being lost (which wasn't new) and in a completely new (at least he thought so) region the perpetually lost boy had been picked up by some little girl (also not new) and forcibly brought to bathhouse. While not part of his regular routine, the sturdy and rugged fighter was not unfamiliar with this particular routine.

Never one to strike the helpless, even in his piglet form, Ryoga couldn't fight back against the small girl or her odd companion when the blonde girl picked him up, after all, she was only ten or so, and couldn't know any better. Even in his cursed form Ryoga knew that he was deceptively strong and was more then capable of injuring the tiny girl, as such he couldn't lash out at her, despite her evil grin. Even when the blonde girl had dropped him into the hot water Ryoga could only think of the fastest way to get out of the bathhouse without hurting the girls around while also sustaining the fewest injuries as possible.

Only things hadn't gone the way he had thought they would. Silently thanking his enhanced durability, Ryoga leapt out of the bath as he endured the endless barrage of projectiles – brushes, buckets, bars of soap, shaving razors, combs, and a sink.

Landing just outside of the edge of the baths Ryoga had hoped that he would be in the clear. Unfortunately he had not anticipated the large swath of soapy film coating the floor. Never one to land gracefully the lost boy slipped on the slick floor before sliding into the showers. Seeing more supple female flesh than he currently desired Ryoga closed his eyes as he forced himself back to his hands and knees while enduring thundering kicks and slaps that would make even a rage induced Akane proud.

Crawling through the barrage of kicks, punches, and over hand strikes Ryoga couldn't help but envy the perverted Happosai's tiny frame as it would prove very useful in avoiding the relentless but seemingly justified attacks from the supposedly helpless patrons of the bathhouse.

Watching the mayhem Eva couldn't help but smile. Toying with Ranma's primary rival had been more fun then even she expected. _Maybe I can keep myself entertained without_.


	12. Chapter 12

Author's Notes –

I don't own either Ranma ½ or Negima, I'm simply a fan of both series.

I hope that everyone enjoyed the last chapter and the entire fic so far. As always, much love and thanks to my betas KitsuneOverlord and Teturo for their outstanding work to improve this fic, if anyone doubts that, just look at how bad the fic was before they joined on as betas… all those stupid grammatical mistakes and continuity errors.

I also have to thank my wife for her love and support, and the MP3 player I got for Christmas – now I can listen to my music without distracting her or using my computer. I find that good music helps my writing. My best writings were to the soundtrack to _Please Save My Earth_ or to _Project Majestic Mix – A Tribute to Nobou Uematsu_.

Anyways, enough of me, back to the fic – Thanks to Quathis for your fun reviews; Observer01 because you provide great ideas and funny insights; Darkforce222, Dumbledork, RanmaChaos, and Kamen Rider Den-O for your dependable reviews; Fionn the Otaku for great counterpoints and useful insight, I know you'll like the next few chapters; TerraBull for the useful ideas; and finally to all the other reviewers who've helped with their encouraging reviews.

Please read and review as I'm always looking for some good input on what the readers think of the quality of the story as a whole or of the individual chapters and how the story is turning out.

Thanks you all for reading.

* * *

Waking up early was nothing new to the lithe and acrobatic Makie. While she had missed medaling at the regional competition and earning an invitation to the national competition Makie clearly had worked hard everyday even after the competitions were over. Even after leaving for England with Ayaka and the others the young gymnast had not stopped her daily training sessions with exception of the early morning that they had followed Negi and the others to the strange rocky outcropping.

Glancing at the magical guns that she had acquired from a traveling merchant at the Nameless Cafe, Makie flicked her wrist as she set up several glassy objects on the sand with her ribbon so that she could practice with her guns. Stashing her ribbon away she grabbed the twin guns. Taking a deep breath she shot the assorted targets, hitting each one with a blast of magical fire, leaving nothing but hot glass.

_Yuna may have bigger breasts, and she might be the "Kid", but I've got these hot guns!_

Holstering her guns she couldn't repress her grin as she thought of what she'd been able to accomplish since starting up her make-shift magical training. Eying the star-tipped wand laying next to her ribbon and batons the gymnast hoped that no one would notice the growing number of smooth, glassy rocks. Thankfully the desert wind had helped her hide the evidence of her training as small dunes covered the glass.

Walking over to the area that she had set up the targets Makie dug a small pit and waited for the glass to cool before throwing them into the hole and covering them with more sand. Satisfied that none were left she let out a little yawn. Reaching for the sky she leaned back as she arched her back as she stretched.

"Wha-?" Looking up at the still dark morning sky she saw something glowing in empty darkness.

* * *

Feeling the cool desert night's air on his warm skin Ranma looked up at the sea of starts overhead. Finished with the new paint job he hoped that ship's new appearance would keep other bounty hunters from recognizing the ship. Where the ship had once had a sleek build and a crimson finish it was now a dark shade of sandstone with several long fins in to make up for the additional bulk.

Yawning he arched his back as he loosened the muscles in his back and neck. Though he needed less sleep following the binding of Nasham, Ranma knew that it was best that he sleep at a different time then the girls. Though the succubae inside of him were mischievous and loved to take him dream hopping whenever he closed his eyes, there was more to his new sleep schedule then he dared to admit to the girls. Since binding the cursed demon armor Ranma had begun to feel more agitated and aggressive. He hadn't realized it himself until the night after he had kissed both Akira and Haruna, but he had been more aggressive, not merely assertive as he had initially thought. At first he had thought creating the pactio with the girls would be enough to channel and divert some of the magical energies that he had received from the demon armor, but after a few more days of feeling edgy and restless Ranma accepted that he didn't know enough about magic to properly address his newfound problems with magic.

Cracking his knuckles Ranma leapt off the hull of the airship and immediately began performing a kata. While it was easier to remain calm when he performed a kata, meditated, or wasn't around the girls Ranma knew that he couldn't rely on those measures alone.

Seeing his shadow flicker beneath him Ranma paused as he looked up at the night sky again. Seeing a message scrawled in rough Kanji the cursed boy knew that few people would be able to read the message unless they had spent some amount of time in Japan or studying the language.

**Ranma – We have four Mahora girls. Come alone.**

Rushing to the door of the airship he quickly pulled the map out of the satchel and spread it out. Looking up at the message in the sky and tried to follow the directions as he compared it to the map. Leaping back on top of the airship Ranma turned east. "Scorpion's Pit," he ground out as he realized just where the message's owner wanted him to go.

* * *

The gentle hum of the bustling marketplace was as a welcome getaway from the exuberant roars and cheers from the crowd in the arena. While the fights had initially proven to be very useful to gauge their skill and power, and to find the weaknesses in their combat ability Negi couldn't help but think that he still had a long way to go if he wanted to catch up to the mysterious Fate.

"What is it that I lack?" he asked aloud as he wandered through a café. "I guess it would be a finishing move or something like that."

"What's this about finishing moves?" another hooded figure asked.

Startled, Negi turned around to face the mysterious figure. "Um, no, it wasn't anything like that…"

"Hahaha, not to worry," the hooded figure replied. "It's nothing to be embarrassed with; fighters such as yourself are always looking for ways to improve themselves and a strike that'll kill if it hits is definitely a way to show others how strong you really are."

Negi couldn't help but gulp as he considered what the mysterious man had said.

"Having a killing blow or two would definitely make the other teams, no, any opponents you face, think twice about messing with you."

"Um," Negi stammered as he peered through the shadowy hood at the man's face, "and who might you be?"

"Hehe, just another fan of the fighters," the man replied. "Just another fan of strong fighters like what you want to be."

Staring at the mysterious man Negi couldn't help but think that there was more to the man then he had let on. Still, Negi couldn't dispute the man's claims; despite his many victories in the arena the boy clearly felt that he had a long ways to go before he could be considered a strong fighter like his father had been.

"For five hundred thousand drachma I'll teach you a decent finishing move," the man said with a smile. "Add in two hundred thousand more for living expenses and training equipment and you have yourself a deal."

Stumbling as he backpedaled from the odd offer Negi wasn't sure if he could take the man seriously. "No thanks," Negi replied as he pulled up the hood of his own cloak.

Even in his disguise Negi knew that he needed to be discrete as possible due to the fame that his current alias had apparently garnered. Hiding in the shadows of his cloak the young magical prodigy casually made his way out of the café and back onto the street before heading through the crowded street to the only less crowded city commons. Despite the spectacular sights that Granicus provided to the tourists, much less tourists from the old world, Negi just couldn't enjoy the unusual architecture of the small city. Standing before the city's grand fountain he reached into his pocket for a 100 drachma piece. Tossing the large coin into the fountain his danger sense kicked in just as the coin broke the water's surface.

Leaping back Negi barely registered the fact that several dozen shadow swords had pierced the exact spot that he had been standing a fraction of a second ago. _Shadow mage? _Negi though as he recalled Fate's dark robed companion. _She was a swordswoman, but I don't recall her using shadow magic_.

Dodging another barrage Negi found the source of the attacks as his hood was pulled away from his face. Turning his attention to the shadow mage Negi scowled as he realized that it was not Fate's companion that he was facing. Watching as the other civilians fled the square Negi waited for the police or local militia to appear.

Unleashing another barrage the dark figure leapt on top of a tall building beside the city square. Countering with light arrows Negi leapt to the side so that he could keep his opponent in his line of sight.

"Rookie mistake," the hooded man shouted, "the authorities never interfere with fighters."

Looking at the mysterious man Negi wondered if he was working with the shadow mage. Seeing that the large man was protecting civilians from being caught up in the crossfire, Negi wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing.

Casting several light arrows Negi watched as the last of civilians moved to a safe distance before turning around to view the fight. "So you'd put the lives of innocents at risk just to fight me?"

"Real fighters never let their guard down," the hooded man from the café shouted as he shielded several children from the falling debris.

"Duel!" several onlookers shouted as they gathered around at what they hoped was a safe distance while others helped a few stragglers back to their feet as they fled the plaza.

Seeing his opponent unleashing several shadowy blades at him the young fighter instinctively created a magical barrier. Watching Negi cringed as a shadowy blade penetrated his protective field. Instinctively flinching he felt the blade cut his cheek as he evaded the follow up attack.

"I have come in response to your call Nagi Springfield!" the shadow mage shouted as he stood atop a bell tower. "I Kagetorou Bosporos have come to apply for an ordinary match with you!"

"Please wait!" Negi cried out as he spotted several people pinned by debris. "You'll damage the town! There are innocent people being hurt here!"

"Stop spouting such tired lines!" the mysterious man shouted as he pulled back his hood. "The people here are used to such disturbances. Fighters of this caliber often start such fights whenever and wherever they cross paths." Standing up straight he eyed both fighters before locking his eyes on Nagi. "More importantly, you know that you'll die if you can't focus on your opponent. The guards won't step in unless one of you is obviously attacking the civilians."

Breathing deeply Negi nodded as he turned away from the rugged dark-skinned blonde man. Clearly the older man had seen his fair share of fighting and knew the rules and laws of the land much better then the optimistic young fighter. Turning to look at the masked shadow mage Negi barely registered the lance of shadow barreling down on him. Realizing his error Negi knew that he couldn't completely avoid the attack. Clasping his hands together he grabbed the lance as he jumped back to reduce the force of the attack.

Hitting the wall that had been twenty feet behind him Negi grimaced as the tip of the shadowy weapon pierced his chest, barely avoiding puncturing his right lung. _He's serious!_ Negi finally realized as he snapped the lance before pulling the tip out of his chest. _He's really trying to kill me! Just now he was aiming for my vital organs!_

Avoiding several more dark blades Negi forced himself to take several deep, calming breaths, all the while watching as the buildings around him crumbled as the conjured weapons collided with the solid rock walls. _His ability is like Takane-san's, but the level of his skill is truly amazing_. Leaping over another barrage he narrowly avoided having his right foot cut off as he tried to land on one of the shadowy projectiles and launch himself at his opponent. _No, more importantly… he really is trying to kill me with each blow._

Leaping into an alley he took advantage of his opponent's lack of movement as he dropped out of the shadow mage's line of sight. Casting a delayed illusion he silently made his way behind his attacker as his illusionary self continued to evade the relentless barrages of shadowy missiles.

Slipping out of his robe he created a decoy and sent it behind his enemy. _It's an actual fight-to-the-death_, he thought to himself as he sought to hide his presence. Casting another decoy on his gauntlet Negi sent it to attack from another direction as he rushed up the side of the tower for better view. Waiting for the first decoy to gain his opponent's back Negi watched as his illusionary self was pierced several times in the arms and legs, pinning him before several missiles pierced his chest and stomach from three different directions.

_He leaves no openings_, the young warrior realized as he watched the masked mage split the first decoy with a shadow blade and then pierce the second decoy with a barrage of shadow missiles. _I'm only keeping up with him because of all the sparring with Ranma … no, I'm only managing to avoid being killed because of Master's training. Ranma never went for a killing blow against us, so I've never had to experience having to fight for my life._ Casting another decoy with his shirt Negi tried to find an opening to expose.

"You've managed to hide for long enough little boy!" the shadow mage cried out as quickly dispatched the latest decoy. "I see you now!"

Instinctively creating a magical barrier Negi watched in horror as one of the magical arrows pushed through his defenses. Twisting in mid-air he barely avoided having his heart pierced, settling instead for having his left shoulder sliced open as the shadow arrow penetrated five layers of magical protection.

_He's good_, Negi though as he plummeted several stories before twisting around so that he landed roughly on his feet, _a real formidable opponent_…

Seeing another barrage of magical shadow arrows fast approaching Negi began to channel all his magical power. Rushing in, he spun around as he narrowly avoided the first wave of arrows. Kicking off of one then another arrow he altered their trajectory so that they intercepted the second wave.

Using the impact of the two waves of magical projectiles as cover he cast a quick decoy and hid behind it as he charged his opponent. Watching as the decoy 'cast' a strong magical barrier to avoid the third wave of shadow projections Negi hid in the debris as his decoy landed before the shadow mage. Rushing to capture his opponent's back the real Negi watched as the shadow mage cut off the decoy's right arm only to have his mask knocked off as the decoy followed up with a kick to the shadow mage's face.

Catching the defeated shadow mage's head in his outstretched hand Negi smiled, "Surrender."

"You surrender to me?" his opponent replied as he stepped out of the shadows behind Negi, the shadowy decoy dissolved in the young mage's hand. "I don't accept."

* * *

"Sorry Nisa," Yuna apologized as she rushed to gather her things, "I know that we said we try to stay for a few more days, but something came up."

"Sorry," Makie echoed as she stuffed packets of food into a bag. "Our ride really wants to get to Ostia."

Yawning, the cat woman shrugged. "I understand; there's a lot going on in Ostia and you want to get there as soon as possible. Your friends are waiting for you all there." Walking over to the bar Nisa grabbed a moderately sized bag out from behind several large jugs. "Take this," she ordered as she handed Akira the bag. "That's more than enough for all you've done."

"We couldn't take that," the swimmer replied as she tried to push the bag back towards the large cat woman.

Shaking her head Nisa smiled at the girls she'd taken in and who had helped make her Nameless Café such a hotspot the past few weeks. "Make sure you stop in at Urborg, my cousin Purraj runs it. Give this to her," Nisa instructed as she handed a scroll to Ako. "Her inn's geared towards travelers and tourists, but she also sponsors some local fighter teams so I know she'll be in need of extra hands with the festival and all, and she'll probably let you stay with her while you're there."

"Thanks," Natsumi squeaked out with a formal bow.

* * *

"The message has been delivered," Hakkon reported to the others. Standing before the leaders of the other five bounty hunter teams he couldn't help but wonder if Takahata was right in his assessment of Ranma. What sort of person merited such a large coalition of bounty hunter teams? If Ranma were that powerful wouldn't it be better for one of the kingdoms to send their elite forces after him or his companions? Something just didn't add up.

"Good," Silver replied.

"Everything is ready," Hivis, the leader of the Desert Vipers, stated as he nodded at Silver. While not the largest or most powerful of the upstart team of bounty hunters, he was definitely the smartest of the group of lizard men.

Looking at the leader of the Desert Vipers the incubus understood why the large lizard had suggested the idea of luring Ranma to the Scorpion's Pit. Aside from being a very remote and isolated location, the presence of strong anti-magic minerals would hinder the unknown fighter as he was clearly getting a magical boost from the demons bound to him. If the boy knew Takahata then the minerals would also serve to hamper any kanka techniques that he had learned from the infamous former associate of the Crimson Wings.

Glancing at his long-time friend Hakkon hoped that once the matter with Ranma was resolved his old friend would be able to properly grieve for the loss of his sibling. The large beast man had taken Scarlett's death very poorly, though obviously not as bad as Scarlet's other sibling or mate. Crimson, the youngest of the trio of beast siblings, and Jedit, the retired champion of the last Ostia Championship Tournament five years ago, had gathered their formidable prize fighting teams to assist the bounty hunters in their impending battle with Ranma, bringing the total number of fighters in the coalition to seventy eight. Both had stood to loose the most as they would could forfeit their invitations to the Ostia Championship Tournament that their teams had earned if anyone caught wind of them fighting in an unsanctioned fight such as this one appeared to be.

While it was not uncommon for prize fighters to also double as bounty hunters, the governing body that oversaw the regulation of the tournaments frowned upon fights where more then four members of a team fought much less having a conglomeration of teams teaming up against a single individual. It would be one thing for two or three small teams to work together against the large group that Ranma's bounty was placed with, but for that many teams to form a coalition just to fight Ranma was unheard of.

"Wait," Jedit shouted as he stood up to address the assembly of bounty hunters and fighters. Turning to indicate one of his subordinates he nodded. The tall blonde human stood by an open crate and began handing large vials of bubbling dark crimson fluid to the assembled team leaders. "Make sure you take enough of this so that each of your… teammates has enough. The effects should last an hour or two."

Grabbing a large vial the young red haired beast man smirked. "I can't believe you use this stuff – the Council banned it ten years ago."

Nodding grimly the scarred beast man eyed the young fighter. "We're not in the arena," Jedit stated as he stared down Crim. "This is just in case that boy Ranma really deserves the three hundred thousand drachma bounty on his head. You may not remember the last time anyone had a bounty that high, but I do; if his bounty is that high and he truly deserves the value on his head, then we'll need those. Better to be prepared for the worst and not need it then to need it and not have it."

* * *

Akira couldn't help but fidget as she stood in front of the airship's monitor. Staring at the screen she couldn't help but wonder what had ruffled the cursed boy enough that he had sent the girls and the airship ahead to Granicus to meet up with Negi and Kotaro. Still a stranger to the airship's bridge she had to defer to the manga-ka's authority as Haruna flipped through the various channels on the monitors. Scanning the monitor she struggled to keep up with the steadily changing images as she assisted the ship's captain in their search for some telltale sign of the cursed boy.

"I can't find him," Kazumi stated as she switched to another spy satellite. Between the three girls each one was focusing on an individual monitor. "You're sure he went north?"

Nodding, Haruna looked at changed cameras. "What about Negi?" she asked as he noticed that class reporter had directed her three satellites to finding Ranma.

"We know he's still in Granicus," Kazumi replied offhandedly as she glanced to the third screen. "He'll be there until tomorrow when they do the presentation ceremony for the winning team of their tournament. Once we find Ranma I'll turn my satellite back to Granicus."

Hearing the chime on the door Haruna leaned back and looked down the corridor, "Hey, you girls done?"

"Yeah," Akira shouted back as she held the door open for the others. "We don't have too much stuff."

"Let me know when you're ready," Haruna shouted back as she returned her attention to the monitors. "No one else is in the area," she stated as she watched the external cameras and watched as Yuna and Makie led the pack lizards into the docking bay.

"How long will it take to get to Granicus?" Akira asked as she poked her head into the bridge.

"If we leave in the next couple of minutes," Haruna started to calculate as she looked at the large map behind the captain's chair, "given our current position and the weather, I'd say we should get there in about two, three hours at most. We'll see how the aerodynamics and extra fins affect this baby's speed."

Hearing the buzz of the intercom Haruna turned her attention back to the monitor showing the exterior cameras.

"Everything's secure here," Yuna reported from the docking bay. "Just don't make it a bumpy ride and we'll be fine down here."

"Okay," Captain Haruna replied as she threw several switches, preparing the ship to take off. Turning on the ship-wide intercom she tapped the microphone, "All hands, prepare for lift off!"

Turning to her bridge bunnies she smiled, "I always wanted to say that."

* * *

Never one to waste food Kotaro always enjoyed the playful mealtime battles with Ranma. Though the young hanyo often was on the short end of the food fights he always got his share of food, even if he had to take it from one of the girls not involved. Having spent many of his younger years scavenging for food he was not one to waste any food, unless it was truly badly cooked or poisoned. He could count the few times that he had abandoned food on his right hand, unfortunately for his lunch he had to add another finger to that count as he watched his half eaten sandwich get crushed by a falling building.

"Bastard," he shouted as he looked at the cause of the ruined sandwich and building. "You know how long I had to stand in line for that sandwich? And you took out the café too! Now I'll never get their famous Dragon Steak Sandwiches!"

Staring at the robed mage standing on the neighboring building Kotaro couldn't quite make out any distinguishing features of his attacker. "Stupid cat!" he shouted as he caught his attacker's scent.

"Hey!" several cat people shouted.

Ignoring the crowd Kotaro leapt at the cat demon before him. Though he looked like a cat person it was clear to the hanyo that the mysterious attacker had some demon blood in him. Summoning dog spirits Kotaro shot them at the cat as he tested his opponent's defense. Watching as the robed cat demon casually eluded the attack Kotaro gauged the mage's speed to be nearly in Ranma's league.

"Kojirou Oogami, you really are the weakest link in Team Negima!" the mage taunted. "I really wish there was at least one strong dog for me to fight."

Snarling, Kotaro unleashed a volley of magical missiles with one hand as he charged ahead. Seeing the cat demon counter with a resounding roar the hanyo watched his opponent's path before he unleashed a follow up barrage of darkness arrows at the mage. Watching as the volley hit the building Kotaro hoped that the light barrage was enough as the cat landed gently on the roof before trying to leap away from Kotaro. Kicking off the unsteady roof the cat demon expected to leap to the next roof but instead watched as the corner of the roof slide towards the ground below, leaving him scrambling for some sort of hand or foot hold as he hung in mid-air.

Landing a thunderous right cross on the defenseless cat Kotaro smirked as unknown fighter smashed into the ground. "If I'm the weakest link, then what are you?"

"Smarter then you," the cat replied as he emerged from the building behind Kotaro. With a powerful swipe the cat dug his long claws into the dog's back before following up with a powerful rake from his free hand, leaving several bloody scratches in Kotaro's back.

Lashing out instinctively Kotaro felt the skin of his shoulder rip as the long claws came out forcefully. Unable to think through the pain the younger demon barely registered that he had kicked the cat several times before falling towards the ground below. Landing awkwardly, he managed to roll to the side as he tried to redirect the momentum of the fall. Rolling to his feet Kotaro noticed that he was beside the robe that the cat demon had worn at the beginning of the fight. _No wonder he got me_, Kotaro thought as he picked up on the cat's scent.

Looking up he watched as the cougar demon rolled his neck, eliciting an audible crack even at that distance. "Dogs are loyal, but stupid too," the mage taunted as he casually jumped off the two story building. Landing with the grace of a cat he waited for Kotaro to get back to his feet.

Glancing off to Kotaro's right the cat demon smiled then pointed, "Looks like my companion is taking care of yours."

Following the cougar's outstretched hand Kotaro saw the several buildings topple as they appeared to be cut in several sections rather than breaking from an impact.

"Did you think all of Team Korwin was as weak as your opponents in the opening round?" the cougar demon stated. "This is the type of competition you'll find in Ostia; not the chump change that you faced in the small late entry tournaments like Granicus holds."

Dashing in the cougar smashed Kotaro in the face with a stiff elbow, sending the hanyo flying into the previously vacated seats of another café.

Taking advantage of the chaos resulting from his hard landing amongst the chairs and tables of the café Kotaro created several shadow clones before hiding his presence.

"Afraid to face me like a man!" his opponent taunted as he deftly handled the first two clones.

Seeing his opponent focused on the remaining clones Kotaro jumped from the shadows of the café to the larger demon's shadow. Jumping out of the cougar's shadow the hanyo connected with a resounding left uppercut that lifted his larger opponent into the air. Letting the force of the hit push him back to the ground Kotaro planted his feet as his airborne enemy seemingly hovered in the air before him. Connecting with a solid palm strike to the older demon's stomach Kotaro unleashed the dog spirits he conjured prior to jumping into the shadows. Unleashing his howling fang attack, Kotaro watched them pierce the cat's stomach before pinning the cat to the wall behind him.

"Don't worry," Kotaro huffed as he watched the cat squirm, "I didn't pierce any of your organs."

Catching his breath Kotaro turned away from his defeated opponent before dashing in the general direction of Negi's apparent fight.

* * *

Looking at the map laid out before him Fate went over his mental checklist of things that he needed to do before heading to Ostia. It was clear that Negi and his crew would be headed there, which actually worked in his favor as it would be easier for him to keep track of the largest threat to his plans.

"Master," the white robed beast girl called out as she announced herself.

"Report," the white haired figure instructed. He'd already sensed her presence long before his servant had announced herself.

"I have provided Team Korwin with your gift to them," the girl replied.

Fate nodded as he mentally checked that item off of his list. "Good, we shall see how well Negi and company fair against the more seasoned members of that team." Turning to face the other presence Fate eyed the white robed girl with large cat ears.

"Master," the girl announced herself as she knelt, "I have received word that the bounty hunter coalition has contacted Ranma."

"So she is with them then?" Fate asked as he checked another item off his mental list.

"Yes," the girl replied with a bow. "Though she is not among their number, she is following them closely."

"Good," Fate replied as he snapped his fingers. "It looks like we'll have that wild card dealt with one way or the other."

Glancing at his guest Fate smiled. "I do hope that Negi and his crew pass this little test," he stated.

"Don't worry, they will!" Anya shouted as she pulled at her restraints. "And they'll come kick your ass next!"

Chuckling Fate brushed off the girl's ranting. "They can't even find each other much less us."

* * *

Glancing at the monitors Kazumi scanned them again in hopes of finding her elusive partner.

"I don't think he wants us to find him," Akira stated as she put her pactio card down. Looking at the monitors the swimmer wondered what had caused the cursed martial artist to become so insistent on having everyone leave for Granicus. Yes, he wanted to ensure the safety of the girls, but wouldn't they be safer with him then without him? She hated the fact that he still didn't trust them, any of them, enough to tell them what was going on. Neither Haruna nor Kazumi knew anything about where Ranma had rushed off to, nor did they know why he had suddenly woken them up and ordered them to find Negi in Granicus.

"Did you find Negi?" the manga-ka asked as she tried to divert the other girls' attention.

Sighing Kazumi began shifting one of her satellites so that it would show them the small city on the edge of the desert. Given the relatively low quality of the images when the satellites were roughly 1000 kilometers over the ground she knew that it was often best to let her satellites hover several hundred kilometers over the ground, just far enough for most people to not notice the satellites but just within range of any airships with basic radar. Though she put her satellites at risk she felt that few would care or even notice them. While the satellites originally projected the images to a small monitor for the class reporter to view she had found that with practice she was able to send the images to the monitors on the ship's bridge.

"Oh my," the tiny Sayo doll exclaimed as she looked up at the screen.

"What happened there?" Akira asked as she gazed at the image of the city's ruined plaza.

Focusing her satellite onto the city commons Kazumi saw that the city appeared to be cleaning up the wrecked buildings fairly nonchalantly. The workers were calmly demolishing the ruined buildings while inspectors appeared to either be estimating the damage or checking the damaged buildings to see if they needed to be fixed or demolished. Seeing no emergency workers pulling out injured victims or anything of that sort the class reporter relaxed. "Must have been some sort of accident," she concluded.

"It doesn't look like anyone's hurt," Sayo added sheepishly. Having seen the overhead views of the city before she had been surprised to see how differently city appeared with only a few wrecked buildings. "I guess it was nothing."

* * *

Looking up at the sky Ranma hoped that he had managed to avoid Kazumi's spy satellites. Fingering the enchanted cloak Ranma was extremely grateful that one particular patron of the Nameless Café had given him the very useful artifact. While it would not hide his presence from those around him it did hide him from those looking in on him through a camera or scrying; useful for avoiding being seen on Kazumi's spy satellites if it truly did work. Apparently it wasn't unusual for strangers or even people you knew to spy on each other through the use of magic or technology.

Still, Ranma couldn't help but hope that he had eluded the girls. Despite the fact that he had departed in the wrong direction, wore an enchanted cloak, and used his blinding speed to leave them behind Ranma couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Then again, it could just be his instincts telling him that he was willingly walking into a trap.

Scanning the outcropping of small foothills Ranma quickly tried to assess the terrain while also checking for any hidden traps. "They are bounty hunters after all," he muttered as felt nothing.

Feeling a slightly unsettling feeling in his stomach Ranma pulled out a strip of jerky. Taking a large bite he hoped that the mystery meat would satisfy his grumbling stomach.

Silently scouting the area he found a message scrawled in the sand. Reading the rough kanji he hoped that he had gotten the message right as it wasn't often that he came across penmanship that rivaled his own for being truly illegible. _That or he's not used to writing kanji_, he thought as he bit into the last of the jerky.

Following the instructions Ranma quickly found the entrance to the mine. Chewing the hard meat for several minutes he finally forced himself to swallow the stringy substance. Shrugging, he leapt into the dark crevice.

* * *

A/N

Thanks for reading and reviewing. I hope that everyone had a great 2008 (for those of you who follow that calendar) and best wishes to you all in the new year.

I'll be taking a few days off to finish reading/watching all my presents and trying to incorporate my New Year's Resolution into my daily schedule which will obviously cut into how much time I have to write. But rest assured, I'll still be maintaining the fic, I'm just waiting for one of my beta's to get back from vacation and I figure I can give both of them a break.

Besides, I also wanted something else to do beside have to read Neo Negima… while it is good, and I could never draw that well, I find that the story is way to bland compared to the original.

Anyways – Happy New Years everyone.

Please read and review.

Dreamingfox


	13. Chapter 13

Author's Notes

Thanks to all who've read and reviewed. I hope everyone is enjoying the New Year and for those of you who were on vacation hopefully it was restful and enjoyable.

Now back to the fic.

I'm glad everyone enjoyed the fun with Ryoga a few chapters back. The dreams were fun but hard to write, I'm just glad everyone enjoyed the last few chapters. For everyone who has doubts about the direction of the fic and that Ranma is getting too much of the spotlight, well, you'll just have to keep reading the next few chapters. For those of you that think that Ranma shouldn't develop his magical powers, well, you'll also have to read on to see what happens. Even Ku Fei's getting in on the magical boost, or at least she looks like she's going to be jumping on that wagon. Yeah, I'm slow on responding to my reviews, but hey, it's something.

As always, thanks to my great Beta's KitsuneOverlord and Teturo - without whom I wouldn't be able to maintain the quality of this fic as I seem to be prone to the occasional grammatical errors and I have needed their detailed knowledge of the mangas involved in this fic.

And thanks to my newest Beta – Lanceavalon, provider of some different insights and tart lemony ideas that were interesting and possibly useful.

Even with the football season over don't expect as many quick updates until after the Super Bowl, and even after that until tax season is done.

* * *

Standing between the two fighters the scarred warrior grinned as he firmly held the two fighters, preventing them from landing their respective finishing blows. "That's quite a show the two of you put on," the dark skinned man stated as he forced the two fighters apart.

"You're from 'Ala Rubra'," the masked mage exclaimed as he lowered his shadowy sword, "Jack Rakan of the Thousand Blades."

Negi eyed the long cut on his right arm he had acquired while parrying the shadow blade before he had nearly punched the mask off the shadow mage. Had it not been for his father's former companion's intervention the Negi and the masked mage would have exchanged their killing blows – triple delayed spell behind a left hook and a shadowy lances that would have pierced Negi's chest.

"Aside from Takamichi and Eishun, the members of Ala Rubra are all supposed to be unaccounted for," the shadow mage stated as he eyed the large warrior. "So you're his mentor! Only a brash bastard like yourself could produce a student that dared to call himself 'Nagi Springfield'."

"Hm? Who's he?" the warrior replied as he smiled.

Lashing out Kagetorou unleashed a barrage of shadow blades at the former member of Ala Rubra only to have the larger man casually respond with light blades.

"Adeat!"

Glowing blades materialized around the scarred warrior, vanishing just as quickly as they appeared as the dark skinned fighter threw them at the shadow mage, pinning him to the rooftop. Summoning a large glowing glaive he slammed it onto the shadow mage, crushing the building and the shadow mage in the process.

"I'm not finished yet," Kagetorou shouted defiantly through the cloud of debris. "That alone won't end it!"

"Give it up already," Jack replied as he casually floated down to the pinned shadow mage. "If I'd been truly serious you'd be less than a smear on the ground. What's more, I'm powerful unarmed."

"If it meant my life, I'd gladly exchange it to get revenge for the blemish from this fight and Team Negima's victory over Team Korwin."

Smirking Jack dispelled his blades. "Fine, if you really want to fight me so badly, you'll have to defeat my students during the Ostia Championship Tournament; I believe Team Korwin still has their spot in the tournament."

"So he is your pupil," the shadow mage stated as he eyed Nagi.

"Of course," Jack replied as he patted the injured Negi's head. "You're just lucky you ran into him while he was in the middle of his training, otherwise you wouldn't have made it this far. Just give him a little longer and he'll be just as powerful as the real Nagi Springfield was at the same age."

* * *

Bounding off the walls he could tell that he had to work harder to channel magic. Leaping over to the metal track he caught hold of it before perching himself against the rocky surface. Channeling pure magical energy Ranma watched as the glowing ball of energy barely maintained its shape and consistency as it radiated from his palm.

Pressing himself against the rough rocky face he pulled out the Grand Master's Scroll. Using the faint light the cursed boy found the right technique for his current situation. Running his hand over it he felt the magical rush of knowledge coursing through his brain.

Stuffing his artifact back into his pouch he put his hands together as he focused his ki. The minerals in the mine might disrupt magic, but that only made his vast ki reserves that much more useful.

_So they want a non-magical fight_, he thought to himself with a grin, _they definitely don't know who they're messing with!_

* * *

Looking over the four girls Hakkon hoped that their bait would lure in their intended prey. While they had easily captured the four girls the incubus knew that Ranma would not be caught so easily. Only inexperienced kids ate their meals without checking for poisons or other drugs. Though the potion that they had slipped into the girls' drinks at the café was tasteless and odorless, they could have checked for magical residue, much less checked to see that it actually was their waiter that had served them.

Looking at the girls he scooped some of the stew into four separate bowls for the girls. "Eat up," he ordered. While the potion left its victims open to suggestions it was much more powerful when administered by a telepath who could control the subjects easily.

Watching the four girls slowly consume their meal and the magical potion that allowed the incubus to control them, Hakkon hoped that they wouldn't have to use their contingency plans against Ranma.

* * *

There were few times that Ranma had been truly impressed by one of the techniques that his father had created. True, the family's two sealed/forbidden techniques were created to make his old man a better thief, but the Umisenken could really be useful, especially in dark underground tunnel. With no magic to worry about he could easily hide his presence from the many patrols that he passed.

Slipping past several patrols in a single passage way he knew that he was getting close. Creeping into the large, dark cavern Ranma nearly lost his cool when he spotted the large cat warriors standing close to the four girls. Though he couldn't clearly make out who the girls were he recognized one of them.

Spotting several different exits to the cavern Ranma decided to check them out before he made his move to free the hostages. _It's obviously a trap, but where's the trap?_

* * *

Looking at his rival Kotaro couldn't help but think that Negi (not Nagi) had gotten beaten up pretty badly. Wincing as Chisame applied some ointment to the long cut on Negi's check the hanyo was just glad that it wasn't him under the online idol's "tender" care. While she might look good in a nurse's outfit holding a large needle, the dog demon wasn't so sure that he wanted to face her anywhere near him if he were injured.

"Stop squirming!" Chisame shouted irritably as she pinned the ten year old fighter down. "You're only going to make it hurt more."

"I never knew you were that… assertive Chisame," a familiar voice called out, interrupting the impromptu wrestling between teacher and student.

Looking up the quartet spotted the ermine as he held onto a strange floating object.

"Chamo!" the young mage shouted from underneath his student.

"Hey, looks like you've been enjoying yourself since coming here," the furry familiar chuckled.

"What are you doing here?" the hanyo asked.

"How did you get here?" the online idol asked.

"Is that a satellite?" the gynoid asked.

* * *

Watching the reunion between their mage teacher and his familiar Haruna couldn't help but feel a bit relieved knowing that they were soon about to join up with their sensei. Despite his youth and inexperience Negi had always been able to pull the class through their hardships over the last term.

"I thought Nagi was the one that was fighting, why is Negi so beat up?" Ako asked as she noted his various injuries.

Exchanging glances between them Akira and Kazumi quickly jumped on the manga-ka as she looked ready to expose one of Negi's secrets.

"It's probably because he's a wanted criminal," Kazumi replied coolly as Akira kept Haruna from turning to face the other girls. "He probably got into a few fights while on the run. We know they're safe and where they are so I'm going to start looking for Ranma again."

"Ranma," Makie muttered as the cogs in her mind started to turn, "he's in trouble too."

Releasing the now stiff manga-ka, Akira turned around to look at the gymnast. Beside her Haruna set the auto-pilot before turning around.

Feeling the eyes of the other girls on her Makie couldn't help but cringe as she recalled the writing she's seen in the sky. "The other morning on my way to the bathhouse I saw some writing in the sky."

"Writing?" the class reporter asked.

"Kanji," the gymnast explained, "really badly written kanji. I couldn't make all of it out, but it said something like 'come alone' and 'Mahora girls'. I couldn't read the rest."

Exchanging glances with Kazumi and Haruna, Akira walked over to the map beneath the main monitor. "We're here," she pointed to their location on the map, "only an hour away from Granicus. We don't even know where Ranma is, but we do know Negi is in Granicus."

"We should head to Granicus," Haruna stated. Looking each of her classmates in the eye she waited for each to nod. "Ranma must have sent us ahead so that we couldn't be used against him. We'll have to let Negi know."

"Maybe Nagi can help too," Ako suggested as she considered the situation. "Ranma's a good fighter, but he probably saw how powerful Team Negima was and knew that if he couldn't handle things that Nagi and Kojirou would be able to help out."

"Actually..." Haruna started before Akira again restrained her.

"With Nagi, Kojirou, Kotaro and Negi, we should be fine," Akira replied as she glared at the manga-ka.

"We'll let Negi know," Kazumi stated. "If Negi thinks that it's necessary to ask Nagi then that's his call to make."

* * *

After hours of exploration the cursed boy felt that he had a good mental layout of the underground maze. Never the best at laying out plans or even foiling traps, Ranma hoped that his skill, luck, and hastily thrown together strategy would work.

Taking a deep breath, Ranma leapt off the ledge, landing behind a quartet of hunters – elf, human, and two beast men. Grabbing the larger beast man's tail the cursed boy swung the much larger fighter into his companions, smashing them into the wall hard. Following up with strong, precise strikes of the Haku Dato Shin Sho, Ranma made sure that they were all knocked out before emptying their pockets and tying them up before resuming the Umisenken's opening stance.

Running down the tunnel Ranma quickly came across the next patrol. Hitting the wall he watched the rocky surface explode, sending stone shrapnel flying at the charging bounty hunters; a dark skinned elf, dark haired elf, and a beast man. Waiting for the bounty hunters to shield themselves from the barrage Ranma slipped under the guard of the foremost hunter. Grabbing hold of the dark skinned elf's tunic Ranma bent and twisted, throwing the hunter against the wall as he lashed out with a back kick that connected with the stomach of the second elf and sending him into the wall. Spinning around to face his remaining opponent, Ranma lunged forward. Quickly raising into the air above his surprised target and easily flipping into a spinning axe kick that landed squarely between the beast man's horns.

Seeing the prostrate forms of the second team and not nearing any others patrols nearby Ranma quickly liberated the contents of their pockets and pouches. Using their belts he tied them up. Seeing that each of the bounty hunters was carrying a vial of reddish liquid Ranma pulled the stopper off of one. Wafting the contents of the vial he sniffed it again. Shrugging he jammed the stopper back into place before putting the collection of vials away.

Making his way down the tunnel Ranma quickly encountered another patrol. Unlike the previous patrols Ranma found that the five fighters were well equipped. Welding swords, staffs, maces, and armor four of the five managed to keep Ranma busy while the fifth of their number pulled out the now familiar vial of reddish liquid. Out of the corner of his eye Ranma watched as the small man quaffed the contents. Feeling the sudden rush of power and the strong killer intent Ranma realized just what the potions were intended to do.

Dodging an overhead blow that would have smashed his skull in, Ranma grabbed his assailant's wrist. Using his attacker's momentum Ranma swung the man around, knocking over three of his companions before launching the man at the charging berserker. Hitting the breaking point of the ground before him, Ranma leapt back and watched as the juiced up warrior charged through the explosion of stone and leapt over the newly created crater.

Dodging a few wild strikes from the enraged fighter Ranma noted the large cracks in the stone surface where the berserker had connected with the hard rock. Though impressive it had nothing on the breaking point.

Distracted by the berserker Ranma realized his error as three of the berserker's companions rejoined the assault, powered and strengthened by the red potion. Avoiding their wild strikes Ranma hit the first berserker squarely on the chin, sending the man flying into the rocky ceiling. Ducking under another punch he connected with a sweep kick, tripping up one of his attackers and sending the man crashing into one of his companions. Kicking the last fighter in the chin Ranma rolled his neck as he waited for the man to fall. Smiling as the man bounced off the ceiling with a resounding crack then landed on top of the first berserker Ranma turned to face the two tripped up berserkers. Watching as the four berserkers got back to their feet and shrugged off Ranma's hard hits, the cursed boy knew that he couldn't play nice if he expected to win against the juiced up warriors.

Waiting for his opponents to rush him Ranma slipped under the first fighter's punch and countered with a solid kick to the man's shin. Ignoring the sickening sound of the bone breaking Ranma crouched as he prepared himself for the remaining berserkers. Feeling their increased rage and killer intent Ranma charged the berserkers before they could mount an offense. Using his strength and momentum the normally playful and carefree Ranma hit the lead fighter's knee with a powerful jump kick, forcing it to bend in ways it was not meant to.

Grabbing the downed warrior's clubs Ranma deflected a powerful swipe from the swordsman of the group. Smashing the man's wrist with several blows he heard one of the bone's crack as the sword fell from the man's now limp hand. Focused on the wrist the martial artist failed to realize that the larger man had wrapped his arms around him.

Dropping the clubs Ranma resorted to the Umisenken's Goshin Ryūsei Fu to escape from the powerful berserker's hold. Slipping his cloak over the enraged fighter's head he flipped out of the hold. Rather then strangling his adversary Ranma kicked the man's back and threw him into the air as he leaned back.

Picking up the clubs Ranma rolled to his feet to face his remaining opponents. Dodge, dodge, strike, dodge, parry, parry, strike. Finding his opponents' rhythm he waited for the right opportunity to counter, striking their joints in an effort to debilitate them.

Standing over the disabled fighters Ranma couldn't help but wonder just how bad the fighters were as they appeared to have failed to realize that he'd been striking their hips and knees. Heaving as he fought to catch his breath Ranma shook his head at the struggling fighters. Even with their knees or hips broken they struggled to get to their feet.

"You guys are too much," he muttered as he stood up. Taking another deep breath he made his way down the tunnel.

* * *

Looking at the reward poster the redhead couldn't help but smile. Though she, and the other girls, commanded a considerably less bounty than the three boys Asuna seemed to find some solace in the fact that Ranma's bounty had gone up since the last time that she had seen the poster. Someone obviously thought that the cursed boy was still alive - probably the same someone who had managed to put a bounty on virtually all of the Ala Alba members.

"Find something?" Setsuna asked as she finished tying up the large beast woman that had led the group of bounty hunters that had caught up with them.

"Reward poster," the redhead replied, rolling it up and handing it to her companion. "What do we do with them?"

"We can't kill them," the swordswoman stated. "They're defenseless now, it wouldn't be honorable."

Asuna nodded. It was one thing to get into a fight and beat someone up, but a completely different thing to start a fight with the intention of killing your opponent. And to kill unarmed and defenseless opponents was unthinkable for either of the girls.

"And we can't leave them here; too many people know that we were doing the blue dragon job," Setsuna added. "Did you find anything else that might be useful?"

* * *

Looking at the four captive girls Hakkon couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen. It had been nearly an hour since the first flare up of killer intent had alerted the core faction of the bounty hunter coalition. While the incubus had initially been against the use of Blood Rage he had to agree that Jedit was right to include it in their plan. Not only did the magical potion provide the users with additional strength, durability, and magical power, in the closed confines of the mine it also acted as an alarm that even the class B fighters could pick up on as the users were filled with killer intent. If not for the arenak disrupting the magical energy imbued by the potion Hakkon was sure that they would be facing a complete blood bath as the berserkers would have fought each other until no one was left or the potion wore off.

The problem was that several patrols had apparently been lost before the first potion was used. It didn't surprise anyone that Ranma had initially used the main entrance to the mine as it was the only passage large enough for a person to move through. The many air ducts and ventilation shafts were either too small for anything but small animals to move around in or were filtered to keep animals from nesting in the vents and air ducts. The only other entrance was home to the a nest of wyverns, and despite the boy's large bounty, Hakkon was fairly certain that no one was crazy enough to try and slip past several dozen wyverns.

But where else could the boy have gone? Where else could he enter the mines? Had he left the mine completely after his fight with the berserkers?

Looking over the map of the mine Hakkon wondered just what type of tricks the mysterious Ranma would have for them. Feeling several surges of magical energy Hakkon knew that Ranma had once again entered the mines.

* * *

Setsuna couldn't help but blush as she looked at the… compromising... positions that the bounty hunters were in. It didn't help that they were all wearing full black dragon leather outfits (to make it harder for them to use magic to untie themselves). Tied together with rope made from dragon hide and with metal bits in their mouth (to keep them from casting magic) the trio of bounty hunters would need a day at least to cut free; enough time for Asuna and Setsuna to collect their payment for the job and to get a good head start.

"I can't believe we're leaving their things here," Asuna lamented as she finished burying the rest of the bounty hunters' equipment.

Turning around to face her classmate Setsuna tried hard to prevent the sight of the bound bounty hunters from being etched into her mind. "We have to; what if they have a locator charm on their things? And with their enhanced sense of smell they might be able to track the scent of their things where ever we take them."

Reluctantly Asuna found herself agreeing with Setsuna's logic.

"We'll probably need to take a good bath too," Setsuna added. "If we follow the river for a bit after we leave the village we can wash up and use it to hide our scent."

* * *

Despite the late hour Ranma had found that sneaking around the underground maze was proving to be much harder then he had expected. Most of the fighters he had fought earlier in the day would have given him a run for his money before he had started sparring with Happosai, but throw in the red liquid and all bets were off.

Putting the Grand Master's Scroll away Ranma hoped that everything was in place for Plan B and that he had gotten an accurate map of the mine from the bounty hunters that he had looted from his previous trip into the mine.

"It's done," a dark haired boy said as it emerged from a hole in the ground. "It runs roughly like this," the clone indicated as it drew a rough path on the map.

A second shadow clone popped out of the hole. Appearing fairly ragged it was clear that this clone had done the bulk of the digging. Dispelling it Ranma absorbed its memories, the rush of knowledge similar to that of his artifact.

Nodding at the first clone Ranma handed his double a vial of red liquid. "Cover the entrance once I'm in and then join up with the others in the main entrance. Try to keep them occupied."

Examining the hole, Ranma found that it was just wider then his shoulders but was low enough that he couldn't stand up straight. If the clone's memories were correct then the size of the hole would remain roughly constant the entire length of the roughly thirty meter long passage.

Nodding his approval, Ranma entered the newly made passage. Closing his eyes he let his eyes adjust to the darkness as his shadow clone moved a large boulder to hide the secret passage. Opening his eyes Ranma slowly could make out the passage before him. Breaking out into a stooped jog he quickly reached the end of the passage. Sensing a sharp influx of ki, magical energy, and killer intent Ranma knew that the fighting had started.

Waiting for the patrol in the tunnel to pass as they ran to assist the patrols in the main tunnel Ranma crawled out of the secret passage, grateful that no one seemed to notice the hole that had appeared over the light fixtures in the ceiling. Clinging to the rocky surface Ranma pulled himself over to the wall before dropping down to the ground.

Employing the Umisenken, Ranma hoped to avoid any unnecessary fights or drawing attention to himself before he got to the girls.

* * *

Looking up at the violet sky Negi found that he couldn't sit still. With all that had happened and was still to happen he had plenty of reason to be restless. The fight with the shadow mage, meeting one of his father's companions and eternal rival, and the reunion first with Chamo, and then the reunion with Akira, Ako, Haruna, Kazumi, Ku Fei, Natsumi, Makie, and Yuna. With everything that had happened to them since the Gateport incident there was definitely a lot for them to talk about.

Sitting with the girls on the veranda Negi looked over the girls, grateful that nothing serious had happened to any of them. Of all of them only Ku Fei appeared any worse for wear, but that was probably because she was sparring regularly with Ranma.

"So Ranma's formed a pactio with Kazumi and Akira," Chamo said as he tried to explain some of the things that had occurred with Ranma and the girls with him.

"When did Ranma start using magic?" Kotaro asked as he skipped over the fact that the older boy had kissed two of Negi's students.

"He was found by a vampire," Akira explained. "He lost a lot of blood from the fight and the vampire that found him gave him a transfusion."

"So he had a short boost which should have burned out a few days after he stopped drinking the vampire's blood," Chachamaru stated. "If he stopped drinking that is."

"He did," Kazumi interjected.

Glancing at the other girls Negi saw them nod, confirming the class reporter's statement.

"He has several demons bound to him," Haruna explained. "Lynx, the vampire that gave Ranma his blood, said that there was something odd about Ranma's cursed form, and that something about the curse allowed Ranma to keep demons bound to him."

Feeling his stomach turn Negi grit his teeth at the news that Ranma had mortally wounded several demons. Not only had Ranma become more powerful since fighting Fate, but the cursed boy appeared to have shed his inhibition towards killing. Despite the life or death fights against Fate and Kagetorou, Negi still doubted his ability to deal a killing blow.

"So why didn't he come here with you?" Chisame asked as she looked over the group. Ever the skeptic she knew that there was more going on then what her classmates had said.

"Well," Makie squeaked out as she sat up, drawing everyone's attention to her, "we think he sent us ahead because bounty hunters were onto him. They wrote a message for him up in the night sky. The only thing I saw clearly was 'Mahora girls' and 'Come alone'."

"He ran into bounty hunters after he found us," Akira added. "The succubae that are bound to him were part of team of bounty hunters. I'm sure you noticed that his bounty has gone up recently,"

Chachamaru and Chisame nodded, apparently the only ones of the Granicus quartet that kept up with the news.

"We were hoping that you could ask Nagi and Kojirou," Ako said hopefully.

Glancing at his teammate Negi and Kotaro exchanged a knowing look before smiling at Ako and the others.

"I… er… we know that they're busy with the Ostia tournament," Natsumi said as she looked at the young hanyo, "but if Ranma needs help then I think it best if we get everyone together to go after him."

"If he sends us a message tonight we'll let you know," Kazumi added as she fought off a yawn. For some reason she was feeling exceptionally tired, probably because she'd spend the entire day staring at the monitors and used all three of the spy satellites so much over the day.

"But you're over a hundred kilometers from him," Negi replied as he noticed how tired Akira and Kazumi were.

Blushing Akira and Kazumi averted their eyes, momentarily forgetting about Haruna as she stood up.

"Since Ranma has several succubae bound to him he can access the Dreamscape," the rumor monger answered. "When he's asleep he can enter the dreams of those he's kissed, if they're asleep at the same time. Because the succubae are a part of his subconscious they access the dreams of anyone he's kissed whenever we're asleep."

Chisame spit out the tea she had been drinking, spraying Natsumi and Ako with her beverage. Ranma could see the dreams of people he'd kissed? Could he alter their dreams? Who had he kissed beside Akira, Haruna, and Kazumi?

"Wait!" Negi cried out as he stood up on his seat. Given Ranma's history with girls (at least the abridged version that Negi had heard) apparently he had done a full 180 on displays of affection. "You kissed him too? Did the rest of you kiss him too? Who has he kissed?"

"Just the three of us," the manga-ka admitted boldly.

* * *

Standing just inside the entrance to the small cavern Ranma waited as another small group left to join the fight up in the mine shaft. _Thirty six left_. Suddenly he sneezed. _Damn, just as I get to the cavern too!_

Sensing several presences approaching his hiding spot Ranma knew that his cover was blown. Leaping down he glanced at the remaining fighters left in the cavern and assessed his position compared to theirs. Landing gently he sprang at the closest fighters, hitting the lizard man in front with a hard jump kick to the jaw that sent the warrior flying back and over his startled companions.

Not waiting for his opponents to recover Ranma quickly followed up with a stiff punch to a beast man's stomach. Using his astonishing hand speed for the Yasha Tankai Ho he found and relieved the fighter of the vial of red liquid. Ducking under a rushed punch he liberated the red vial from his attacker before lashing out with an elbow to the elf's ribs.

After eluding several attackers and stealing their vials (and other useful items) the cursed boy could feel the change in the fight as the fighters slowly moved to encircle him while also giving him some space. Feeling several surges in magical energy, ki, and killer intent Ranma knew that things were not going to go as easily as he had expected. Unleashing a barrage of projectile weapons (that he had liberated from the bounty hunters) that scattered his opponents Ranma dashed back towards the entrance of the cavern.

"RANMA!" someone roared, rattling several loose rocks from the walls and ceiling as the shout echoed through the cavern and tunnel. "If you want to save these girls then you'll stand and fight! Run and I'll rip out their throats!"

Turning to face the large cat warrior as he stood beside the four captive girls, Ranma could tell that something was up with the girls. Bound by loose chains to a raised platform that the miners had used to fill the mine carts the girls didn't appear to be struggling or straining against their captors. Cracking his knuckles Ranma slowly walked back into the cavern as he eyed Hakkon and the three cat men standing by the captive girls.

It was clear to Ranma that the ringleaders of the coalition wanted more then to just collect the bounty on his head - they wanted his head, preferably detached from the rest of his body. Capturing him was clearly not the overall objective of the trap so much as beating him to a pulp was.

He knew that he couldn't hold back anymore. Taking a deep breath Ranma charged the fighters before him. Shooting off several Moko Takabisha at the first wave of fighters the cursed boy hoped to keep them from quaffing the red liquid. Taking advantage of the chaos caused by the ki spheres as they hit fighters then burst in bright flashes of golden light Ranma kicked in the berserker's knee, extending it in the wrong direction.

Charging past the first wave of berserkers he unleashed the Kijin Raishū Dan, clearing away over a dozen of the juiced up berserkers. Dashing into the carnage and into close quarters fighting he fought his way towards the rough center of the cavern. Jumping over a wild but powerful tail whip from the large lizard man Ranma landed on the fighter's head before springing off of tall warrior's head. Twisting in midair he crouched on the ceiling before hitting the breaking point and launching himself back towards another group of fighters.

Feeling the now familiar surge of energy whenever someone drank the red potion Ranma could almost feel the nearly overwhelming killer intent radiating from his opponents. Ducking under another wild punch he countered with a corkscrewing uppercut to the demon's exposed ribs. Standing up he caught the wrist of the armored human charging him. Leaning back he rolled onto his back and kicked the man in the stomach as he launched the man into a crowd of berserkers. Using the momentum of the roll he got back to his feet before jumping over the lumbering charge of another berserker. Striking the ceiling he widened the entrance to the air shaft and sending a shower of rocky shrapnel at the fighters below, not that the berserkers cared much. Leaping onto the shoulders of another berserker he leaned back as he grabbed hold of the beast man's horns. Using his momentum he flipped the beast man into the air and sent him flying.

Landing gently Ranma wiped the sweat from his forehead as his opponents appeared to reorganize. Despite their increased rage and killer intent they weren't true berserkers as they could coordinate their attacks and not relying on just charging blindly into battle. Using their greater numbers to their advantage the coalition was slowly wearing Ranma down.

Seeing another wave of berserkers charging him Ranma hit the breaking point in the towering cat warrior's chest plate. Twisting around his attacker to avoid the flying metal he kicked off the warrior's back and launched himself back towards the ceiling. Hitting the breaking point he used the explosion of rock as cover while he created another shadow clone before dropping back down. Hitting a lizard man with a spin kick he used the momentum to carry him away from the air vent.

Conserving his dwindling energy Ranma stayed on the defensive, dodged and parried the many blows and strikes from his opponents. Feeling the rush of memories from one of his dispelled shadow clones Ranma momentarily froze, allowing one of his assailants to grab hold of his ankle. Swung around by his leg the cavern blurred before being replaced with stars. Feeling as though a mountain had come crashing down on him Ranma blinked away the stars as his body automatically sprang up to a crouching position. Fighting to regain his wits the cursed boy stumbled about as glancing blows pelted him. The rush of information from his dispelled clone seemed to help him regain his composure.

Facing a large multi-armed demon armed with short swords he rushed inside to block the swing at the demon's wrist before slipping past the demon's guard and countering with a palm strike to the chest. Breathing heavily, Ranma calmed himself as he set up the Hiryu Shoten Ha as he evaded his numerous assailants' attacks while drawing them into the slow spiral that ended under the vent. Though their enhanced rage and killer intent worked to fuel the powerful attack Ranma wasn't sure how it powerful it would be in the closed confines of the underground cavern. Even with the now larger entrance to the air passage in the ceiling he wasn't sure if his tornado would go up or if it would go out through the mine shaft.

Falling back as a knife cut the space that he had been in, the heir to the Saotome School of Anything Goes lashed out with a corkscrew punch. Watching as the berserk fighters were lifted by the strong air currents Ranma channeled his ki so that he could cling to the rocky surface beneath him. Covering his eyes he shielded his face from the flying debris and discarded weapons as the tornado sucked up virtually everything not tied down in the cavern. After a few minutes of enduring the gale force winds and howling wind (possibly just howling and screams from the unfortunate warriors who were sucked into the tight air vent) Ranma looked around at the carnage around him.

"Impressive," a familiar voice coughed out.

Spotting the incubus, Ranma wondered how the Hakkon had avoided getting sucked out of the vent with the rest of the coalition of fighters. Standing up he realized that a handful of demons remained.

"Demon's aren't affected by Rage like mortals are," Hakkon explained. "While it gives us a power boost, we don't feel enraged or turn into berserkers like the others. If not for the arenak I'm sure that the others would have become real berserkers. Still, your technique managed to turn the potion against our little coalition."

Taking stock of his ki reserves the cursed boy knew that he was running low. Putting his hands in his pocket Ranma tried to appear calm and relaxed in the face of his remaining opponents.

"You've won this round," Hakkon stated as he put his hands up into the air. Turning his back on Ranma the incubus led his team out of the cavern. "But this is far from over."

Though he had seen them before he knew that they weren't with the Ala Alba or the girls who had been in England, so who were they? Grabbing the chains that bound them together Ranma knew he couldn't just break it brute force alone. Finding the end he yanked it out of the elevated platform.

Holding onto the chain Ranma looked down at the glowing platform. "That's not good."

* * *

A/N

Yes, I'm alive. I think I've spoiled you all with my ever so frequent updates. Seriously, twelve chapters in less then three months, that's insane. You're just lucky the Packers sucked this year. But it's the playoffs now. My weekends will be spent watching football or at post season fantasy football bashes (I lost in all three leagues that I was part of). After that I'll be doing taxes, so don't look for more then one chapter a week, maybe one every two weeks.

If you really want to read more, give me some good feedback on the fic. As much as I like the "Good Chapter" and all, I'd like to see what you really think of the fic and the direction that I've taken the characters.

Later,

Dreamingfox


	14. Chapter 14

Author's notes –

As always thanks to my betas for, well, everything – without you I'm sure that I'd be turning off a lot of readers with my poor grammar, simple sentence structure, bad spelling, and bad continuity errors. Lance, Teturo, and KitsuneOverlord – thanks for making this fic so much better and for reigning in my ideas when I try to stretch them just a bit too much.

Thanks for the reviews (I loved them of course!). Special thanks to wolf40k for your loyal dedication to the fic; RanmaChaos, Observer01, Kamen Rider Den-O, Dumbledork, Quathis, JS1210326, and Wonderbee31, Ranma girl 14, Darkforce222 for your reviews of the last couple of chapters; and of course to everyone else who's reviewed the fic.

* * *

Finding shelter under a rocky protrusion Asuna listened to the hard rain of the storm around her. While the late summer storm had pinned the two fugitive girls by keeping them in the region it also helped to erase their scent and tracks, making it harder for any bounty hunters to follow them.

Lightning lit the small clearing, providing Asuna with a quick glimpse of the rocky outcropping. Yawning, Asuna couldn't help but think that there was something familiar about the stone slabs that she and Setsuna had found shelter in. Unable to fight off her exhaustion, the redhead slowly slipped into unconsciousness, loosing her train of thought as her eyes closed shut.

* * *

Watching the looped feed of the many traps and pitfalls that she had set up for the poor cursed pig boy Ryoga, Eva couldn't help but laugh. Being able to mess with the lost boy was clearly the highlight of her summer. Even all the incidents where Ranma barely held a candle to the four or five hours she'd spent toying with the piglet. Seeing how the water seemed to aggressively seek him out she made a note of the time and frame.

Looking up at her clock and calendar a sudden realization struck the tiny vampire. Summoning a minor demonic spirit she quickly haggled a price for the messenger's service before giving it a small package and envelop. Smiling as she dismissed it she went back to watching the replay of the lost boy's antics in the bathhouse.

* * *

Listening to the casual rustle and bustle of the crowds Kotaro (as Kojirou) smiled. A natural morning person the hanyo especially enjoyed the mornings in Granicus. While he preferred the wilds or small villages like Mahora, Granicus was a welcome experience considering its size and population. Unlike larger cities like Tokyo and Ostia (from what he'd heard) which never slept when they held festivals, the small tournament city was much more relaxed and enjoyable. Even with the tournament over the fighters that remained were relaxed and easily approachable. Then again, none of the other teams had won the tournament, so they apparently had less to fear from other vengeful teams that were still looking to earn their spot to the Championship Tournament.

Shaking his head Kojirou shrugged off the unpleasant memories of the ambushes that he and Nagi had endured yesterday. Sniffing the air he smiled as he caught the scent of freshly baked sea kittens. Following the scent he found the quant shop but stopped abruptly as he recognized one of the three figures standing outside the café.

"Fancy seeing you here," the now fully healed cougar demon said. Towering over his companions the cougar grinned at the smaller hanyo. Turning around his four companions quickly focused their attention on the member of Team Negima.

"Kojirou," the hunched over lizard man said with a nod.

"I guess we couldn't put off seeing you until Ostia," the tall dark elf added with a smirk.

"Blitzack, Santana," Kotaro replied as he eyed the group.

"There won't be any fighting here," the cougar demon stated. "Unless you think you can cut in line just because you won this tournament."

Relaxing a bit Kotaro nodded, "Their baked sea kittens are that good?"

Grinning, the cougar walked over and handed the young hanyo a menu. "The best you can find in the desert. But if you really want something to remember Granicus, order half a dozen desert oysters and naga battered wyvern eggs."

Seeing the other members of Team Korwin salivating at the mention of the breakfast order Kotaro knew that the dish had to be good.

"If you can finish that before me, it'll be my treat," the larger demon added.

"You're on."

* * *

Standing in the ruined cavern the incubus stared at the small crater that was left from Crimson's treacherous trap. True, it apparently worked, but Hakkon couldn't help but think that using the chains that had bound the four hapless girls as the trigger for the explosive trap was very honorable, especially after the incubus had given the bounty his word that the fight was over.

Looking at the charred remains of the bounty that the younger cat warrior held up triumphantly the incubus couldn't help but cringe. Ranma deserved a better death then the trap had given him.

"Vengeance is ours!" the young warrior cried out. The cavern soon erupted with cheers as the remaining bounty hunters cheered at the sight of their bounty's decapitated head being held up by the prize fighter.

* * *

Hearing the distant rumble of the passing storm Setsuna knew that the storm would keep any potential hunters at bay. The strong electrical currents and winds would just now be reaching the village while it had just started to clear by the river.

Grabbing her sword Setsuna looked over at the still sleeping Asuna. Despite having to wake up early for her deliveries it was clear that the girl preferred to sleep in when she could. Leaving the redhead to rest the swordswoman decided to wash up.

Making her way out of the small clearing she realized that they had somehow made it to a ruined settlement of sorts. What she had mistaken for rocks and boulders in the dark were apparently the ruined remains of buildings, statues, and fountains.

While not an expert on jungle plants she could tell that the tree had yet to grow to full maturity despite their massive size. Clearly the jungle had reclaimed the ruins in only the last decade or two.

Feeling the faint traces of the magical wards Setsuna cautiously approached the river that divided the ruined city. Finding nothing but traces of the small animals that inhabited the ruins the swordswoman set her sword atop the crumbling remains of two intersecting walls. Peeling off her wet clothes she rung them out and shook them before laying them on the sheathed blade to dry.

Cautiously stepping into the cool water of the river Setsuna relaxed. Stopping when the water reached her knees she released her wings. Cupping her hands she rinsed her wings.

After a few minutes of preening she froze as she spotted several large, white feathers in the water. Plucking a feather from the surface of the water she examined it, comparing it to her own feathers. White but not albino, the feathers were clearly not hers.

"Aah!"

Hearing a startled scream the swordswoman knew that the source couldn't be too far away. Rushing back to her sword and clothes Setsuna quickly dressed before rushing upstream to find the source of the scream. Had a griffin found humanoid prey or was it an injured aven? She needed to know. Either way, someone was in trouble and needed assistance.

* * *

Feeling the warm morning sun on her cheek Akira slowly roused from her dreams. Realizing the significance of the fact that she hadn't dreamed of her partner the swimmer quickly jumped out of bed. Reaching into her satchel she pulled out her pactio card. Alarmed she sprang out of bed. Wrapping a sheet around her as she dashed to find Kazumi and Haruna the athletic girl tried to recall her dreams.

Seeing her two rivals in the hallway she stopped as she exchanged glances with them. Seeing their cards in their hand she knew that she wasn't the only one that had slept… well, they had slept.

After an awkward moment of silence Haruna walked over to her and grabbed her hand. "We have to tell Negi."

Nodding, Akira wiped her eyes with her other hand as the manga-ka led her and Kazumi towards Negi and Kotaro's room.

* * *

Looking through the merchant's inventory of healing salves, potions, and ointments Konoka wondered if the mysterious and expensive "Elixir" was capable of healing all ailments. Could it cure petrifaction or did the fact that the victims couldn't actually consume the potion limit its effectiveness?

"Do you have anything that might cure petrifaction?"

"Hn?" the merchant replied as he stared at something over her shoulder.

Seeing that the wizened elf was clearly distracted Konoka turned around to see just what had captured the old man's attention.

"The unseasonable cyclone ravaged the eastern desert and even reached the coast," the succubus anchor woman reported as footage of the path of destruction was shown on the monitor. "Fortunately the cyclone didn't hit any of the small settlements or caravans on the nearby trade routes, so damage and casualty estimates are expected to be minimal."

"Oh my," she exclaimed as she realized what caused the sudden tornado in the arid desert.

* * *

Looking at the unedited footage of the unusual tornado that had hit the desert region the mercenary couldn't help but smirk as she recalled Ranma's fight with Asuna. Zooming in she could just make out the rough figures being thrown out of the twister.

"Breakfast is that good?" her companion and former sensei asked as he pulled up a chair. Reaching into his jacket he pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit one up.

"I've had better," she replied as she handed the smoker the personal screen that she had spent a nice sum of drachma on.

Taking a long drag of the cigarette he raised a brow, clearly intrigued with what he saw on the screen. "Even the best CG couldn't pull off something this good," he stated as he handed Mana the monitor. Picking up the menu he glanced over it. "Oooh, chimera tail steak and acridian eggs."

Spotting the waitress the scruffy blond held up the menu. "Does the chimera tail steak come with the poison sack and stinger?" The waitress nodded. "Great, I'll have the acridian eggs, sunny side up, with amber nantuko, and chimera tail steak."

Nodding, the tall lizard woman licked her lips with her forked tongue. "Exsssellent choice," the waitress hissed.

Looking down at her plate the mercenary pushed her half eaten breakfast away. She just didn't feel that hungry any more.

* * *

Waddling out of the café Kojirou couldn't help but think that he needed bigger pants. Feeling his stomach straining against his pants he knew that he would definitely not forget the Seven Delights' famous desert oysters and naga battered wyvern eggs.

"I'm impressed kid," Jareth chuckled as the towering cat warrior ducked under the door frame. "Not only did you finish one order of oysters and eggs, but you managed to finish a half dozen baked sea kittens too."

Grinning the young hanyo took a deep breath as he fought to keep all the food inside of him. "When you get to Ostia stop in at Urborg, we can see who can finish their famous Cloudchaser waffles."

"Just make sure you grow at least another foot," Santana added as the dark skinned elf waddled over to his veteran teammates, "unless you want to jump around after the waffles."

Waving goodbye to Team Korwin, Kotaro grinned as he walked back towards the fighters' dorms that he and Negi were staying at. "I think I ate twice my weight," he muttered. No longer trusting his ability to bend at the waist he leaned against a wall as he caught his breath.

"…casualties are expected to be minimal," the succubus said as she finished her portion of the news.

"At least we have some good news to report," the stunning incubus anchor added as the cameras shifted to him. "Word from the bounty hunter's guild is that a high profile a bounty has been claimed. The three hundred thousand drachma reward on Ranma Saotome has been claimed by the bounty hunter and prize fighting team Wicked Redeemers. Lead by Crimson, team spokesman said that the team wanted a worthy but unorthodox opponent as they prepared for the Ostia Championship Tournament."

* * *

Under the cover of the powerful storm a silent, mysterious figure quickly rushed through the river valley. Slipping from shadow to shadow the figure stopped as the lightning lit up the jungle floor. Waiting for the lightshow to subside the figure dashed off as the thunder crashed overhead, hiding the sound of her steps through the muddy stream.

Reaching the green dragon's lair the figure checked her mask, making sure that it was on tight. Feeling a spike in magical power the masked figure slipped back into the shadows. Scanning the clearing and the stormy sky the silent figure dashed over to the entrance to the dragon's lair. Seeing the dragon's tail slowly disappearing into the cave the figure knew that the job wouldn't be easy.

* * *

Poking at her half finished breakfast the dark skinned girl couldn't help but wonder if they had accidentally doomed the cursed boy. Having approached the incubus so that he could deliver a message to the pigtailed martial artist might have tipped the coalition off as to how to get to Ranma or what he associations he had.

Looking at the updated reward poster she half-heartedly listened to the news reports regarding the desert tornado and the Wicked Redeemers collecting the bounty on Ranma's head.

"You seriously think he's dead?" the scruffy blonde asked. Seeing the look in her eyes the blonde knew that he didn't have to bother getting an answer. "Good, we should head to Ostia."

* * *

Rubbing some healing salve over his bloody chest Jedit growled as he felt the sting of alcohol against the wounds. Never one to bother with the minor pain caused when treating his wounds the leader of the last Ostia Championship Tournament winning team, the powerful cat warrior smiled grimly at having avenged his mate.

"That boy would have been a worthy opponent in the arena," the team's lieutenant stated as he set one of his teammate's leg. "He deserved a better death."

Grunting, Jedit continued to rub the salve on his many superficial wounds. At least only one of his teammates had his leg broken. Of the seventy eight fighters that had entered the cavern only six had emerged completely unscathed and twenty had not suffered some sort of debilitating injury. Of the seven teams that had joined the coalition only three could field a respectable bounty hunter team.

"He's not dead," another voice interrupted.

Looking up Jedit eyed Hakkon, leader of the Seven Hells. Only the one member of the Seven Hells had been significantly injured, and even that was a hyper-extended elbow. The man had sis arms, what was one hyper-extended elbow?

"I saw my sisters in the dreamscape," the incubus explained. "I don't know how he did it, but he managed to escape."

* * *

Pacing around the room Chamo's mind was racing. There were so many unknowns. Ranma was already chaotic, but throw in magic and he was… well, where did you go after chaotic?

Looking at the black and white pactio cards the familiar ran over to a stack of books. Pushing several over he began flipped it open, paging through it. Finding the right page he began to read through it.

Suddenly the door to the room opened as an excited Kojirou entered. "Turn on the monitor!"

"What?" Chisame shouted as she tried to jump from the subject of pactio cards to the monitor and Kotaro's sudden appearance.

"Just do it," the hanyo huffed.

Reaching for the remote Chachamaru quickly turned on the monitor, "What channel?"

"News," Kotaro snapped.

"World news, local news, or regional news?" the gynoid asked.

Grabbing hold of his stomach the dog demon cramped up as his overloaded stomach caught up with him. Unable to deal with the strain he had placed on his body the young hanyo collapsed.

"Kojirou!" several girls shouted as they rushed over to the dog demon as he curled up in a fetal position on the floor.

"The spokesman for the bounty hunters guild confirmed that Team Wicked Redeemers claimed the bounty on Ranma Saotome after an epic battle in the desert region of Granicus."

Looking up at the monitor Akira's knees buckled as she heard the news report while Kazumi slumped into the chair beside the table where the pactio cards were set, and Haruna fainted. Rushing over to check on their classmates and friends Ako, Makie, and Yuna while Natsumi checked on the still curled up Kojirou.

Ignoring the drama going on around him, Chamo turned the page as he continued to read from the book. Looking up at the calendar he looked over at Negi and the girls. "Chachamaru, do you know what day it is in the old world?"

"August 11th," the gynoid answered automatically, "Ranma's birthday."

"His 18th birthday?" the ermine asked.

"That is correct," Chachamaru replied. "Oh."

"Oh!" Negi added as he looked at Akira and Kazumi's pactio cards.

Looking at the shell shocked girls Chamo sighed. "Ranma's still alive. If he were dead your cards would not have the black boarder or show your artifact." Walking over to the tiny ermine Chachamaru grabbed the book Chachamaru propped it up so that the girls could see it better. "Your cards are just lost their color, which means that they are temporarily inactive."

"Maybe you should wait until they're coherent," Chisame deadpanned as she scanned the devastation across the room.

* * *

Ducking under a leaning tree the redhead hoped that her companion had not found any more trouble. After the run-in with the bounty hunters and the blue dragon Asuna really wasn't in the mood for another fight. Gripping her enchanted harridan the hotheaded girl leapt over another large rock. Seeing Setsuna standing by the river's edge Asuna relaxed visibly as she reached her companion.

Seeing several figures standing in the river the redhead froze as she recognized the new comers. Though Misora was one of her classmates and knew of the magical world, Asuna didn't know why the runner would be in the magical world. "Misora, Takane, Kokone, Mei; what are you doing here?"

* * *

Sneaking into the green dragon's lair Kaede hoped that the powerful beast had just fed. From what she understood of the magical creatures, dragons tended to be more aggressive after eating before sleeping as they digested their food. While the ninja girl was looking to test herself, she knew that if the fight went badly she could run without having the dragon seriously chase after her.

"Come in," a booming voice ordered. "I could smell you the moment you stepped into my lair."

Realizing that she had lost the element of surprise Kaede entered the dragon's chamber. Scanning the cavern she wasn't surprised to see that the chamber was lit up. With its forelegs covering the source of the soft white light the dragon appeared fairly relaxed despite the presence of a supposedly powerful warrior intruding on its lair.

"I take it that you were foolish enough to take the job of convincing me to leave the area," the dragon stated rather then asked. "I may not be as large as many of my cousins when they get to be my age, but I assure you, you're several decades too young to force me to leave."

Looking the dragon over Kaede knew that despite the creature's apparently small frame, it radiated power. No wonder the villagers were afraid of the creature.

"I simply want to be left alone," the dragon stated, "if the villagers stay out of my territory I won't bother them. I don't mind if they start farming or do some hunting and fishing in my territory either, as long as they pay for the right to do so."

"What do I get out of this?" the ninja dared to ask.

Chuckling the wise old dragon casually broke eye contact with the girl. "You can take her," the beast offered, removing its forelegs to reveal the source of the light.

* * *

A/N

Yeah, a short chapter. I figure that last chapter was long, and took a while to post, so this chapter is a bit shorter, but quicker to update.

Don't expect to get anything until after the Super Bowl. Well, good reviews could inspire me to do more on my computer then just follow my now defunct fantasy football leagues as we plan our post season parties.

Oh, and everyone, stay safe and keep warm (legally, no underhanded things like sneaking into someone else's bed without their knowledge and consent before hand…. You know who you are people) since this seems to be a bitterly cold winter.

Dreamingfox


	15. Chapter 15

Author's notes –

Lance, Teturo, and KitsuneOverlord – thanks for making this fic so much better and for reigning in my ideas when I try to stretch them just a bit too much. And for answering my many questions and keeping me straight.

Thanks to the loyal readers and especially to the reviewers who've helped provide good insights and ideas, and constructive criticism too.

Nothing against PETA, but the whole renaming of fish as 'sea kittens' bit is just stupid. If you noticed that in the previous chapters – kudos to you, if not, oh well. You have to admit, it was a good scene.

*****

Staring at the massive dragon Kaede was about to accept its offer when she felt the tingling sensation of dark magic filling the air. Leaping back into a defensive stance she watched as the dragon stood up on all four legs as it also went on the defensive. Clearly it was not the source of the magic.

Seeing a dark tear in the space between her and the dragon the ninja girl gripped her kunai as she prepared for the worst. Across from her the dragon relaxed before lying back down as the dimensional tear opened, revealing a small demon spirit.

Radiating dark energies the demon hovered over the rip in time and space before floating up to the dragon. Grinning, the dragon nodded as it revealed the glowing figure to the demon. Looking at the glowing girl the demon sighed, handing a glowing black orb to the dragon before zipping over to the astral tear and entering it.

"Interesting," the dragon said as it eyed the girl with glowing white wings.

*****

Stepping through the fog of the dreamscape Ranma was surprised that he didn't see Sonya and the other succubae around. Even if they were off in someone else's dreams, the girls tended to be just on the edge of the fog. Spotting the vampire the cursed boy quickly found himself next to Lynx.

"Yo," he said in greeting.

"I was wondering when you'd get here," the vampire said as he looked up from the text he had been reading.

"Where are the girls?"

"Healing you," the vampire replied. "You've depleted your ki reserves, so now you're using your magic reserves. Since you're unconscious the girls are doing the work. Well, Nasham is too, but he's never around anyways."

"Oh, cool." Conjuring a chair for him to sit in Ranma wondered just what he could do to keep himself occupied while he was apparently unconscious.

"You'd normally be dreaming," the vampire said as though reading the boy's mind, "but I needed to talk with you."

"Oh?"

"You've been using that kanka technique a lot, haven't you?"

"Yeah."

Though he knew the answer Lynx couldn't help but grimace at the casual admission. "Ranma, you have to stop using that technique."

"What? Why?"

"Because it'll kill you," the vampire explained. "It's a powerful technique, but not one you should be using all the time.

"You know that ki and magic generally don't work well together, right?"

Ranma nodded.

"Even masters of the technique only use it sparingly; do you know why?"

Scratching his chin Ranma searched for a reason. Finding none he shrugged his shoulders. "No."

_What was I expecting?_ Lynx thought to himself as he stood up. "When you use the kanka technique don't you feel your ki and magic pathways burning?"

Thinking about it, Ranma realized that they did tingle when he used the technique. "Burning, no, but it does tingle."

Nodding as he absorbed the information Lynx set his book down. "The reason that you're feeling that is because the magic and ki are reacting inside of you. The more you channel the two together the worse it hurts. I guess that since you've been using the Grandmaster's Scroll you are only using the minimal amount of each. Still, eventually your body won't be able to heal the damage that kanka causes to your body.

"It was fine for vampires who were inherently magical and who can regenerate, but for humans who could only heal so many times there would be a point where the combination of the two energies would hurt more then help in the long run. Others tended to dedicate one hand for each type of energy if they dare to combine the two."

Looking at the grim vampire Ranma knew that Lynx wasn't lying to him. "That's what I was told in the dream message that Hakkon gave me."

Nodding, Lynx understood why Ranma had been reluctant to listen to the dream message.

"I didn't trust the message because he gave it to me," Ranma admitted as he leaned back in his chair. "I guess the fight in the Scorpion Pit was a good thing for me; kept me from using magic and kanka."

Sighing, Ranma had to rethink his approach to magic. True, Asuna was about to master the technique if she already hadn't, but she also was also naturally immune to magic so she couldn't be harmed by her use of magic and ki together. And Takahata had only used the magic enhanced attack when Negi as a last resort. Perhaps that was the best thing to do. Besides, using your strongest attack all the time made it easier for opponents (especially repeat ones) to exploit its weakness. On the plus side, at least his could always fall back on his magic reserves if pressed.

*****

Looking over the now standing crowd Chamo looked over his notes. Hopefully everyone would be able to stay upright for the entire explanation this time. Eying Kojirou as the young hanyo rubbed his still large stomach the ermine shook his head. _ I can't believe he actually finished the Seventh Star's legendary breakfast combo, and he didn't have to pay for it either!_

Shaking his head the ermine looked at his notes. "Okay, everyone ready this time?" Seeing the others nodding, Chamo turned his back to them as he faced the board. "Now, as you all can see from the appearance of Akira and Kazumi's pactio cards the color has faded, leaving the pictures in black and white. If you look at the examples of broken contracts like Mana's, you can see that the color remains but only a picture of the ministra without her artifact is present."

"Mana had a pactio with Ranma too?!" Makie muttered, breaking the flow of Chamo's lecture.

"No, I'm just using her pactio card as an example since she doesn't have an active contract with her former partner," the ermine replied as he stared at the perky gymnast. "Anyways, from what I can tell it looks like the contracts that Ranma made with the two of you" he pointed at Akira and Kazumi "is temporarily suspended due to the fact that he turned 18 today."

"But you said his birthday is August 11th, that was three days after we arrived in Wales," Negi countered as he looked at the calendar. "We've been in the magic world for nearly three weeks."

"True," the gynoid interrupted, "but time in the old world and the magic world flows differently. In the real world, Japan in particular, it is early morning. One week in the magic world can pass while on Earth only one day would pass. Thus the three weeks we've spent here are equivalent to three days back in Mahora."

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" Negi asked as he realized that they could make it back to Japan before the start of the end of summer vacation.

"I thought that Master would have gone over this with you already," Chachamaru replied. "Why else would you schedule such a potentially long trip at the end of the summer?"

"Anyways," the ermine interrupted as he tried to draw the conversation back from the tangent it had taken, "since Ranma turned 18, his body is responding to the provisional contracts that he's made. Simply put, the 'trial' period of the provisional pactios he acquired is up and he has to make a decision as to who will be his ministra."

"Oh," exclaimed the manga-ka. "So that means that his contract with Nekane wouldn't have been affected?"

Negi suddenly found himself on the floor. Standing back up he looked at the girls, Kazumi and Akira avoiding his gaze. "Ranma has a contract with Nekane!"

"He's her minster," Haruna said happily. "That's how he started to use magic."

"So if he kissed her to become her minster and get magic?" Kojirou asked nobody in general. "Does that mean that she has naughty dreams like the ones you three have been having?"

"Probably only one or two dreams since she's in the real world," Jack answered as he figured the time difference.

"Negi!" Ako cried out as the pint-sized sensei fell over.

*****

"Where are we?" Takane asked as she waited for her clothes to dry.

"If I had to say, we're in the jungles of the southern continent," Setsuna replied as she pulled out her map. "I think we're roughly here."

Staring at the map Misora rubbed her sore wrists. "The last thing I remember was some tavern in the desert. I think we were over in this region."

"We were trying to make it to Granicus," Mei added.

"Why were you in the Magic world anyways?" Setsuna asked. "We didn't see you in Wales."

"Japan has a Gateport too," Takane replied. "We were in Megalomesembria, that's Kokone's hometown."

Waving at the other girls, the little dark skinned girl continued to munch on some jerky.

"After the attacks on all of the Gateports around the world we had given up any hope of getting back to Japan in time to for the start of the fall term," the blonde explained. "After seeing Nagi's post fight interview where he called out to Makie and Yuna, we hoped that Negi had some plan on getting all of you home, so we decided to try and meet up with him in Granicus."

"So what happened?" Asuna interrupted. "How'd you get here? It's like twenty thousand kilometers in the wrong direction."

"Like I said before, the last thing I remember was being in the desert," Misora answered, slightly frustrated at the circular conversation.

"I think the waiter slipped something into our food," the quiet Kokone piped in. "I remember an incubus making us eat something. I think they were using us as bait for someone."

Exchanging glances Asuna and Setsuna quickly nodded grimly. Reaching into her pack Asuna pulled out the magically updated reward poster. "Ranma…."

Seeing the blacked out picture with a red X over it, Misora read the name of the bounty. "Ranma Saotome? I didn't know that Haruna had a brother." Seeing the blank look on her classmates' faces she amended her statement, "Cousin?"

"No relation," Setsuna replied grimly. "He's a friend of Kotaro's."

Eying the swordswoman Asuna wondered why they were keeping Ranma's relationship to the White Wings secret.

"So what's really up with the bounties on you guys?" Misora asked, trying to get a better understanding of the situation.

"Misora, do you remember the Kyoto trip?" Asuna answered with a question of her own. It was going to be a long story.

*****

Sayo couldn't help but feel a bit left out. Even though Eva had provided Kazumi with the talisman so that the ghost girl could travel with the others into the magical world Sayo couldn't maintain the puppet body continuously. At first it she could go a day without having to retreat into the talisman to charge up, but since the class reporter had partnered with Ranma she found that she had to recharge every few hours for hours at a time.

It was only when she was with Ranma that she didn't need to recharge as much. But with the cursed boy presently missing Sayo had to resort to having recharge more often inside the talisman.

Watching Kazumi activate her new pactio card to summon the spy satellites Sayo felt… tired. Disappearing into the talisman the ghost hoped that she could stay around longer next time.

*****

Despite the fact that few people considered Ranma to be the scholarly type the cursed boy was in fact very clever and perceptive, unfortunately he tended to focus only on martial arts enabling him to analyze, deconstruct, and reconstruct techniques to find their strengths and weaknesses.

"So Ku Fei uses chi energy," he stated as he analyzed the Chinese martial artist, "which doesn't react to magical energies, and draws upon the user's life energy. Every living creature and plants have chi energy."

"Yes and no," Lynx responded as he looked at the diagram of fighters that Ranma knew. "Chi energy is pure physical energy. Chi energy can be combined with either magical or spirit energy."

Nodding Ranma absorbed the information. "And Kaede uses chakra, which is one part chi energy, one part magical energy."

"Possibly, but I'm not sure," Lynx lectured. "People who use chakra actually have the ability to use magic, just not fully, so their bodies create chakra by combining chi energy with magic energy. Magic users don't actually generate mana, or magic energy, they just pick up ambient magical energy and convert it into chakra. Mana isn't like chi or ki, it's an energy that is around us. Everything has some natural energy, but mana is the term used to describe energy that magi pull from those objects. Basically it's the word we use to say we've borrowed energy from something else."

Staring blankly Ranma tried to process the information. After a few moments he nodded as he appeared to grasp the knowledge and understanding of that aspect of the various energies. Basically he produced natural energy which isn't chi or ki, but couldn't use it, and Negi just tapped him for some of it but used it to fuel his spells. Taking several more moments to process the information he finally decided on moving on. "So ki is…"

"Spiritual or soul energy," the vampire finished. "Every mortal has spirit energy, just not to the degree that you do. Those with high spirit energies can see ghosts and such. Martial artists like yourself who train hard to build up their ki reserves are great for dealing with ghosts, but not magical creatures. For some reason you have huge ki reserves, which makes you very well suited for dealing with magical creatures because ki is so disruptive against magic. Normally someone with above average ki reserves couldn't fight a magical creature because they would be easily overpowered, but with reserves like yours you can easily handle creatures with a lot of magical energy."

Nodding as he soaked in the information Ranma couldn't quite process all the raw data that the vampire had provided him.

"Here in the magical world you'll find very few spirits or ghosts as it, well; it leans toward magical energies and creatures. In the demon realm there are no spirits or ghosts at all," Lynx lectured as he pulled down another diagram showing three worlds and two realms that encompassed their respective worlds. "Most low level spirit creatures would find themselves overwhelmed by the magical energies of the magic realm; just like low level magical creatures would be overwhelmed in the spirit realm. It's not unusual for humans or elves with spirit energy to cross over to the magical realm, and vice versa.

"There exists a spirit world and a spirit realm to balance out the magic ones, but obviously I've never been to either. As a low level magical creature it wouldn't be a good idea for me to go to the spirit realm. The best I can hope for is going to the old world."

Looking at the diagram Ranma closed his eyes as he processed everything. Though he could use magical energy it was only due to the pactio he had with Nekane. If not for that contract he wouldn't normally be able to use magic as his (highly trained) body was used to channeling ki energy.

"So certain types of energy don't work well together basically," Ranma stated. "Like certain types of magical energies that cancel each other out or don't work well together, spiritual and magical energy don't like to play together. When they do, they tend to hurt the ones playing with them."

"Good analogy, because that's exactly how it is," Lynx said as he looked over at the cursed boy.

"So what kinds of creatures inhabit the spiritual world and realm?" Ranma asked as he ran with his tangent thoughts.

"Good question," the vampire answer, deflecting the question. Taking a moment to reflect on it the seemingly all knowing vampire shrugged his shoulders. "I've never been there so I don't know for sure beyond the basic creatures like ghosts, elemental spirits which are like our magical elementals, animal spirits, daemons, devils, angels, and wraiths."

"So what about that lich that I fought, isn't that a spiritual creature?"

"Yes and no," Lynx replied. "Liches and zombies are animated bodies of the dead. Liches maintain their intelligence but lack a spirit or soul, using magical energy to maintain themselves. Basically they're magi who got very powerful in life and were able to keep themselves alive with magical energy. Their spiritual counterparts are known as wraiths."

Soaking in the information Ranma nodded. "So how come Kotaro can summon dog spirits?" Ranma asked.

Blinking the vampire wondered just how the cursed boy hit that tangent while thinking of the answer. "Probably because he's a dog hanyo with an affinity for dogs," the vampire replied. "Just like fire elementals can call upon salamanders, the fire spirits, and vice versa. Affinity for certain things creates loopholes like that. Spirit energy works very well for and against demons; the same is true of magical energy for and against angels, though mostly when destroying or injuring, not healing.

"Lesser demons and spirits can travel to the other realm or worlds if called upon, but only work really well if it is their counterpart or someone very high level with an affinity summoning them. Elves, dragons, and humans can cross between worlds and realms, but only with help, otherwise higher demons and angels can cross between their respective realms and into the their respective physical world, though they can only go to the old world if someone creates a portal or gateway for them."

Seeing the befuddled look on the cursed boy's face the vampire knew that Ranma had his limits in regards to how much information he could process at once. Smiling, Lynx hoped that Ranma wouldn't let himself run off on all of his tangent thoughts again. Still, there was just a bit more that the cursed boy would need to hear.

"There is one thing though," Lynx said as stood up. "Just because magic and spiritual energy aren't the same, doesn't mean that they can't do the same thing. You can use magic or spirit energy to keep ghosts away, just like you can strengthen your muscles with spirit or magical energy. You just have to figure the mechanics for each. But knowing you, you might be able to do it with just will power alone."

Nodding, Ranma sat back down as he considered his options.

"Since you've trained so hard developing your ki reserves, I'd suggest that you go with what you know and keep magic as a back up. Since you've already got two ministras to drain your magical reserves, you can focus on further developing your spiritual energy."

*****

"So this Fate guy was behind the Kyoto incident, another incident back on campus, and the Gateport incident?" Misora asked as she pushed a branch out of the way.

"Yeah," Asuna answered, "that's pretty much everything."

"So who's Ranma?" Takane asked as she looked at the blacked out reward poster. "He's not related to anyone, or dating anyone, so how's he involved?"

"Eva recruited him to help out in case there was any trouble," Setsuna answered. "If not for him Negi might have been killed during the fight in the Gateport."

"So if he's the bad guy, why are all of you on the reward poster?" Mei interjected. "I know that you're innocent, but if you were with the representative from Wales then why are you all being hunted?"

Shrugging her shoulders Asuna sighed in defeat. "We don't know. Right now we're all just trying to get to Ostia without getting caught."

Hearing something crashing through the brush Setsuna signaled the others to stop. Taking a moment to listen to the sounds as the source moved closer to the sextet. Gripping the hilt of her sword Setsuna waited as the sounds became louder. Behind her Asuna readied her harisen and the ninja nuns pulled out their weapons.

"Kaede!" the swordswoman exclaimed as the ninja girl appeared on the pathway.

"Setsuna!" Konoka shouted as she let go of the ninja and leapt onto her childhood friend.

"Konoka!" the startled redhead shouted as she recognized her roommate. Watching the ever cheerful girl crying softly as she hugged her childhood companion and friend Asuna couldn't help but feel relieved. _Something is finally going right_.

"Misora, Takane, Mei, and Kokone; what are you doing here?" the ninja girl asked as she tried to absorb the scene.

*****

"You're sure the treasure is nearby?" Aisha asked the others as she cut down another vine.

"Yeah," Nodoka squeaked as she nudged away a serpent by her feet. "There used to be a city nearby that used to refine arenak into armor, weapons, and even clothes."

"Esperzoa," Lynn muttered. "They once had a special Gateport that transported arenak from the Granicus desert. But the city was destroyed during the Great War twenty six years ago when some general decided that if Esperzoa wouldn't agree to an exclusive deal with them then he wouldn't let anyone by anything from Esperzoa."

"It's been a deserted jungle ever since," the library girl finished.

Swatting down a snake with the flat of his blade Craig shrugged as he and Christian followed the girls through the jungle.

"There's a reason why no one ventures near Esperzoa ," Christian said as he shook his head. "There's a dragon's lair around here, which means we're in its territory."

"It's almost sundown, which means the dragon will probably be asleep soon," Aisha interjected. "Besides, if it hasn't noticed us yet it probably won't notice us at all. We just need to find this treasure trove."

"So how do we find something made out of arenak?" Christian asked as he speared a large bug with his sword. "I mean, it's anti-magic, locator spells and charms won't work on it."

"True," Nodoka replied, "locator charms will point us towards magical artifacts aside from the ones that we possess when we turn on the charm. Because the charms locate magic, it can also locate an absence of magic in a very magical area. Dragons are very powerful magical creatures and they radiate magical energy, I assume that there is a lot ambient magical energy because we're so close to the dragon's lair."

"So if the locator charms pick up on ambient magic of the dragon's lair it will point us to the lair before pointing us away from the arenak," Craig finished as he realized just how useful the charms could be in locating arenak.

Pulling out her locator charm Lynn turned on the small magical device. Waiting as the machine recalibrated the brunette elf nodded as it scanned the area. Checking the readings she nodded to her companions and led them towards the dragon's lair.

"What type of dragon is it?" Aisha asked as she trailed after Lynn.

"Blue I think," Nodoka replied. "According to the bulletins a monster hunter team drove out a blue dragon. Apparently they didn't turn in anything, which is why the treasure hunter's guild put up a notice for someone to loot the dragon's lair for any treasure."

Visibly relaxing at the news Craig and Christian pulled torches out of their packs and lit them. Trailing behind the elf girls the two human males didn't want to disrupt their companions' dark sight as the two led the group through the growing darkness.

*****

Pacing through the fog of the dreamscape Ranma felt a familiar presence. Spotting a figure emerging through the fog Ranma turned to face Hakkon. Standing up to the incubus the cursed boy wanted to slug the demon despite the fact that physical altercations were pointless in the dreamscape.

"What do you want?" Ranma growled.

"I just wanted to apologize for Crimson's trap. I had no idea he or anyone had done that." Scanning the dreamscape the incubus shrugged. "You'll be happy to know that officially you're considered dead, so the bounty on you is off. I don't know how you did it, but you apparently left a body behind."

Resisting the urge to glance at the knowledgeable vampire for an explanation Ranma held the incubus' gaze.

"Crimson is satisfied and Silver is dead, so her family is out of the picture. Unfortunately Jedit wants to fight you." Looking around him Hakkon shrugged. "He knows that Nagi Springfield and Kojirou are actually Negi Springfield and Kotaro, the two highest bounties remaining on reward poster. They're going to be in Ostia, which means that those girls you're trying to protect will be in Ostia too. And so will Crimson and Jedit's teams."

Scowling at the incubus Ranma nodded.

"There are two ways to get an invitation – one of the three remaining tournaments or defeat a team that's earned an invitation," the incubus explained. "Or you could just join Team Negima. Either way, Jedit wants you to participate. If you don't, or fail to meet up with him in the arena, he's going to reform the coalition and go after the others on the reward poster."

"And what if he doesn't make it to me?"

Laughing at the boy's response Hakkon took a moment to collect himself. "Jedit has been undefeated since he won the last Ostia Championship Tournament five years ago. You're lucky that you didn't face him in the Scorpion's Pit. The way you were running around and avoiding him, Silver, and Crimson makes me think you have something against cats."

*****

Gently poking at the winged girl's pink flesh with his hard talon the dragon smirked. Radiating high levels of magical and spiritual energy the girl's automatic defenses managed to keep the dragon's sharp claws from injuring the unconscious girl.

"So soft and delicate, yet so very deadly and dangerous," the dragon stated to himself. Feeling the disruptive and chaotic energies emanating from the unconscious figure the dragon hoped that he was wrong. Feeling a sudden spike of various energies the dragon stood up on all legs. Inhaling deeply the dragon felt the tingling of his toxic and corrosive enzymes mixing with its breath the ancient creature discharged the deadly cloud.

Watching as green mist consumed the winged girl the dragon's eyes bulged as it felt the sudden killer intent from the enshrouded and now conscious winged figure.

*****

Feeling the sudden surge of killer intent Kaede momentarily lost her footing on the moss covered stones as she lead the other Mahora girls towards the dragon's lair. Grabbing several kunai in each hand the ninja girl quickly leapt ahead towards the dragon's lair.

A roar of pain pierced shattered the jungle's quiet darkness.

Grabbing her harisen Asuna watched as various animals rushed past the party of girls as they fled the overwhelming aura of killer intent. Behind her the other girls gripped their weapons as they prepared for the worst.

*****

Dashing through the dense jungle underbrush Nodoka couldn't help but berate herself for not realizing that they had crossed into the wrong dragon's territory. Following the fleeing jungle animals Nodoka couldn't help but feel that she'd failed her teammates.

Seeing a glowing white presence passing overhead the mousy librarian instinctively ducked. Hearing a feral roar ahead of the party she looked up at the winged figure as it crashed into the growth ahead of them. Blinking, she tried to focus on the figure before her as her eyes adjusted to the light.

"Get down!" Craig shouted as he tackled her to the ground, narrowly avoiding the source of the bright light at it launched itself at her.

Seeing that the light had flown back the way that it had originally come from, Nodoka crawled to her feet as Christian helped Aisha and Lynn to their feet. Hearing several roars behind them the party ran down the path away from the sounds of the two combatants.

"Nodoka!" a familiar voice shouted.

Looking up Nodoka froze as she recognized the new figure. "Kaede, what are you doing here?"

"Me, what are you doing here?" the ninja girl asked in response.

"Looking for arenak but we found a dragon instead," the mousy girl replied.

"You know her?" Aisha asked as she eyed the armed ninja.

"Yeah, one of my companions that I've been looking for," Nodoka replied. "I didn't know you were this close."

"Asuna, Setsuna and Konoka are here too," the ninja replied, "and some others too."

Hearing the titanic battle drawing closer again Lynn rushed over to the two girls. "Sorry to interrupt this reunion, but we need to get out of here."

"Duck!" Aisha shouted as a dark form blocked flew overhead.

Crashing down into the small clearing the green dragon rolled as it tried to get back to its feet.

Looking at the powerful creature Kaede hoped that Nodoka's new friends were much more powerful then the seemed as even the imposing dragon was clearly injured. Looking at the sizable wound along the serpent's neck that dripped dark red blood the ninja hoped that the berserker had worn itself down.

Launching a barrage of feathers that turned into swords the winged girl pinned the dragon to the ground as the weapons lanced through the creature's wings. Slamming into the downed beast the girl roared in triumph as the dragon's mighty body crumpled limply to the ground. Leveling its gaze at the stunned adventurers the winged girl's bright aura seemed to dim slightly.

Drawing her kunai, Kaede moved in front of her smaller classmate. "Run."

*****

"I had no idea he would react that way," Hakkon said in his defense. Looking at the makeshift monitor that Ranma had conjured to see what his physical self was seeing. "I'll make sure not to do that when I'm actually around you." Seeing the look on his siblings' faces he shrugged, "Or in the dreamscape."

"I think it's time that you leave," Sonya stated as two of the succubae escorted their brother out of Ranma's mind. "The barrier we've set up should keep him out unless he's invited in again," the eldest succubus explained.

"They would have kept him out if not for the fact that all of them were busy healing you," Lynx explained. "Next time, if there is a next time, we'll make sure one of the girls keeps up the barrier."

"That's fine," Ranma said as he looked at the monitor. "But this isn't good. I don't want to attack Nodoka or Kaede. I didn't know they were even close to where I was."

"Unfortunately we don't know where you are for sure, but if I'm right, we're near Esperzoa," the vampire explained. "Probably in the jungles of the ruined city, so not a lot of people around; expect for some adventurers. I guess some of your girls have joined up with a party of adventures, not to mention the ones you freed."

"Good, but what do we do about me? I've gone Neko on the girls."

"It's actually worse then that," Lynx interrupted. "See how you're not just using the Neko ken, how you're throwing swords? I think Nasham's taken over."

Seeing his hand holding a sword as he blocked the long haired blonde man before countering and sending the man flying, Ranma realized that there was more to his current berserker state then his normal ones. Seeing himself swatting away Asuna, being disarmed by Setsuna then backhanding her, and seeing the blonde that he'd saved in the Scorpion's pit throw a shadow lance at him Ranma knew that the girls were outmatched.

"So what do we do?" the cursed boy asked.

Watching from the limited view of the carnage that Nasham was wrecking upon the assembled Mahora girls, adventures, and the now injured dragon, the vampire considered the situation.

"Given how you have six demons bound and contained within you, each with a dark urge that they need to fulfill, I'm surprised you haven't lost control yet." Looking at Ranma the vampire shrugged. "I know that the girls have made you more… aggressive and assertive with the girls. You've been more out going and confident with them, even kissing three of them, something you yourself admit as not normal. Not to mention sleeping with, though not doing anything more then just cuddling, with them."

Seeing the blank look that the cursed boy gave him Lynx shrugged. "Okay, the best way to stop Nasham's need to destroy and kill is to replace it with a greater desire."

"So how do I do that?"

"Let Sonya and the girls take control."

Seeing the boy's blank stare as he obviously missed the connection Lynx shook his head.

"Replace Nasham's desire to fight and destroy with the girls' sexual desires," Lynx explained. "Between the six of us we don't have the magical energy to contain Nasham. But let their desires overpower his and he loses control of your body. Even just stealing a passionate kiss or six will recharge your magic reserves, as well as the girls'."

Flashing a skeptical look over at the knowledgeable vampire Ranma couldn't help but hesitate. Kissing Akira and Haruna had been one thing as those were just light kisses on the lips, but deep, passionate kisses were another thing altogether. Somewhere in the back of his mind Ranma knew that if his pops, Mr. Tendo, or anyone from Nerima had recommended the idea he would have suspected some ulterior motive, but Lynx had nothing to gain except keeping Ranma from killing anyone or anything.

"Okay," he relented, "what do I have to do?"

*****

The healer didn't know when exactly she'd activated her pactio, but she knew that she had to. With all the injuries her friends and classmates had inflicted on them by the berserker Konoka knew that if not for her healing spells someone would have died. Even with her seemingly vast reserves of magical energy she was having a hard time keeping up with the mounting injures as the fighters were scattered throughout the now battle ravaged jungle. With her magical time limit of three minute she scrambled around healing those who managed to land closest to her as she tried to find everyone who was injured.

Frantically trying to heal the bloody wound in the blonde elf's stomach Konoka cast another healing spell. Seeing the gaping wound suddenly closing the healer rushed over to the other elf. Casting another healing spell on the elf Konoka hoped that she could help even though she didn't know what was wrong with the unconscious woman.

"Konoka!" her roommate shouted.

Lacking the reflexes of a fighter Konoka turned around as the winged girl charged at her. Suddenly Setsuna was standing between them despite the fact that she was injured and unarmed. Watching helplessly as the winged girls fought Konoka knew that Setsuna wouldn't stand a chance. Despite having revealed her true form so that she could fight without restriction the swordswoman was outclassed by the winged berserker.

"Setsuna!" the ninja girl shouted as she pulled herself back to her feet. Seeing her classmate's desperate situation, Kaede pushed herself to join the fray. Coughing up blood she knew that having been smashed into and breaking a large tree she probably had several broken ribs and a punctured lung. Grabbing several kunai she rushed back into the fight.

Suddenly the killing intent from the berserker vanished only to be replaced with another, even more overwhelming but indescribable aura. Just as suddenly Setsuna felt her attacker grab her wrist and twist so that her arm was behind her. Losing sight of the others as large, white wings encased her Setsuna struggled against her opponent as the redhead grinned wickedly. Suddenly she felt her attacker's full lips pressed against hers. Unable to struggle Setsuna gave into the sudden desire building up inside of her.

"Setsuna!" Asuna shouted as she rushed to rejoin the fight. Seeing the her classmate crumple to the ground as the winged redhead released Setsuna Asuna managed to take another step before the redhead grabbed Konoka's head roughly. Pulling the smaller girl to her the redhead kissed Konoka passionately as the skies erupted into a light, warm downpour.

"Ranma?" Kaede muttered as she dropped the kunai in her hands. "Is that really you?"

Released from her attacker's forceful but passionate kiss, Konoka felt her knees buckle as she slowly sat down on the now wet ground. Looking up as her attacker moved on she suddenly recognized him.

Exhausted from fighting for her life Asuna found herself back peddling as she realized that the cursed boy was now upon her. Though he lacked the killer intent of his winged female form he was clearly not acting like the Ranma that she knew. "Ranma?" she muttered as she felt his strong arms wrapped around her as he swept her off her feet. Looking into his cerulean eyes she felt his warm lips press against hers. Feeling a rush of warmth passing through her she closed her eyes as he kissed her passionately.

Staring in abject horror as the pigtailed boy kissed Asuna, Takane's mind reeled as she tried to process the sudden turn in events. Seeing the boy release the carrot topped girl, the shadow nun tried to cover her nakedness (having had her clothes shredded earlier in the fight) as the boy forced himself on the injured ninja. Kissing her lustfully the naked boy seemed to drain Kaede as the normally steady and energetic girl melted in his arms. Releasing the busty ninja he ran over to Takane.

Opening her mouth to shout out her protests she was surprised by his speed and ferocity as he clamped his mouth over hers, kissing her lasciviously. Despite the girl's training as a nun (and shadow mage), or perhaps because of it, she felt her hands clamping onto the pigtailed boy's body, pulling him to her as she pressed her naked body against his.

"Takane?" Misora squeaked out as the runner stumbled into the clearing. Feeling the change in atmosphere she scanned the clearing for any trace of the winged figure that they had been fighting. Blushing as she realized just what her senior was doing with the boy that had saved them from the Scorpion's Pit she averted her eyes, quickly looking to the other girls. "Did we win?"

*****

A/N

Hopefully no one got too wrapped up in the explanation of chi, ki, and mana/magical energy. Basically everyone has chi, and to some degree ki and magical energy, but not everyone can use them. Even regular people don't use chi, only highly trained ones; and those highly trained ones can start to develop spiritual energy and magical energies.

Though the Great War ended just about 20 years ago, Esperzoa was destroyed during the war, not at the end of the war.

Dreamingfox


	16. Chapter 16

Author's notes –

Lance, Teturo, and KitsuneOverlord – thanks for making this fic so much better and for reigning in my ideas when I try to stretch them just a bit too much. And for answering my many questions and keeping me straight.

Thanks to the loyal readers and especially to the reviewers who've helped provide good insights and ideas, and constructive criticism too.

Haruna does not have a pactio with Ranma; she had one with Negi before leaving Japan, and since Ranma only had two contracts to make, he chose to make them with Akira and Kazumi because they didn't have a partner yet.

Kazumi now has a pactio with Negi while she's waiting to see what happens with Ranma's pactio, and because her satellites are very useful for Negi and company as they try to find the other girls.

Akira has not formed a pactio with anyone else and is waiting to see what happens with Ranma's pactio.

Obviously I'm not going to ship Ranma with Akane (as she's barely mentioned in this fic), not even when I eventually have him return to Nerima. Yes, I'm really having fun shipping him with the undeveloped characters like Akira and Takane, but Haruna and Kazumi are fun too. Misora would be fun too as she's a speed freak and I'm sure Ranma would want to see who's faster and can associate well with the sporty, athletic girls.

Anyways, I hope everyone enjoyed the last chapter and that you'll enjoy this one too. Please Read and Review.

*****

Looking down at Ranma's bloody remains Jedit smiled. Unsheathing his claws the champion fighter buried them into the boy's throat. Grinning savagely he ripped out the boy's throat before tearing off the head. Holding it up, he stared into the bright blue eyes.

"Isn't it a bit soon for you to be dreaming of defeating the boy," Ranma said.

Roaring in frustration Jedit threw the head against the arena wall.

"That's not nice," the head said as it bounced off the wall and floated before the cat warrior. "I came all this way to give you a message too."

"What are you doing in my dreams Hakkon?" the champion prize fighter growled as he eyed the incubus.

"I've given the boy your message," the incubus stated as he slowly created Ranma's body before shifting into a more natural form for him. "But I wanted to give you a warning."

"What do I have to fear from that whelp," Jedit growled.

Slowly changing the landscape from being an arena to the dark subterranean cavern, the incubus tried to recreate the scene of the fight with Ranma in the Scorpion's Pit. "I'm sure you recall how the boy tended to avoid you, Crimson, and Silver."

"The fool obviously knew that we were the greatest threat to him."

"More like the three of you were most likely to trigger his berserker state."

"The boy's a berserker?"

"He was holding back. The boy knew that if he lost control he'd have killed the four girls he was trying to save. If not for the arenak I'm sure the Rage would have made it easier for him to lose control."

"And his trigger?"

"Cats, felines, etc."

Eyeing the incubus, the champion prize fighter wasn't sure what to make of the berserker's trigger. "The arena's barriers should keep him from rampaging; if not then the authorities will step in and end him."

*****

Surveying the carnage he'd wrought Ranma shook his head. It was one thing to see things secondhand in his subconscious mind, but to see it in person was another thing altogether. Considering all that had happened the previous night, Ranma still found it easier to view the ruined jungle then to look at the girls and their companions.

Sighing, Ranma sat down. Sensing a familiar presence Ranma let the ninja girl approach him. "You can come out now," he said, not wanting to wait for Kaede to announce herself.

"What's happened to you?" Kaede asked.

"What hasn't happened to me?" Ranma replied snidely.

Feeling her lips the ninja blushed as she recalled the forceful but skilled kiss that the cursed boy had given her during their fight. "Why did you kiss me?"

Pausing Ranma tried not to put his foot into his mouth. Having run through the scenario in the dreamscape with Sonya before waking up, he knew that if he were to say "Probably because you were there," Kaede would have launched into her best Akane impression. Since the ninja girl was much more skilled and deadly then the uncute tomboy, Ranma knew that things could get messy.

"I'm, ah, sorry," Ranma apologized as he tried to recall what Sonya had coached him to say. "I couldn't help myself," ("Be honest," Sonya had advised. "Then tell them that they were just so cute, pretty, sexy, adorable, etc. Most girls love to be flattered, even if you don't mean it, and if you can't lie to save your life or manhood, then just let it trail off and smile meekly at them.") "You're just so cute that I…" he muttered as he flashed a crooked smile at her while trying to avert his eyes.

Though she knew that the cursed boy wasn't telling the whole truth, Kaede couldn't help but feel a bit relieved after hearing Ranma's excuse. "So why'd you stop?"

Freezing, Ranma struggled to think of an answer. While Sonya had coached him enough for him to get out his meager response to the first question, Ranma had not expected to be asked anything after that (as he had expected whomever to go "uncute" on him). "Um, I didn't, um, think you were, umm, in the best, um, shape for… anything, um, else," he finally replied. Thinking back to the fight, he tried to recall the injuries that Kaede needed to have Konoka heal. "Didn't you have broken ribs and a punctured lung?"

"And who do I have to thank for that?"

"Hey, it was just another excuse for me to kiss you again," Ranma joked. "My 'Healing Kiss' doesn't infuse you with extra magical energy and doesn't have a three minute time limit."

"Careful," the ninja admonished, "don't give the girls anymore excuses to kiss you or you might have to add a few more girls to your 'fiancé brigade'."

Chuckling weakly, Ranma stood up. "Only if they can catch up with me." Smiling halfheartedly he shrugged as he pulled out the message that Eva had sent him.

"You're going somewhere," the ninja stated rather then asked.

"Soon, but not yet," Ranma replied solemnly. Watching as Nodoka and her adventurer friends entered the dragon's lair; the cursed boy couldn't help but feel grateful that no one had suffered any serious or debilitating injuries. Sensing the other girls' approach he shrugged as he turned to face them.

"So what happened?" the brash carrot top asked. "I know you weren't close to being half as powerful the last time we saw you."

Eyeing Asuna Ranma looked her over. Resisting the urge to say that Asuna wasn't even half as powerful now as he was back then, the pigtailed martial artist shrugged. "I killed a few demons and bound them to my soul," he deadpanned. "You know; the quick power-up."

"That doesn't explain the wings, or why we didn't recognize your cursed form," Setsuna stated.

"There are six demons bound to my soul, each with a dark desire that they want to fulfill," Ranma explained. "Five succubae, who of feed off of sexual energy."

"That's why you kissed all of us," Konoka remarked, blushing as she recalled the kiss.

"Um, yeah, something like that," he replied as he scanned the girls' expressions while managing to avoid making eye contact. "The sixth was a cursed armor demon. He's the one that wants to destroy and kill everything."

Giving the girls a moment or two to absorb the information he waited for one of the girls to say something, anything, to break the silence.

"So you're just a big lustful pervert and want to kill everything?" Mei asked.

Looking at the young girl Ranma shrugged. "Not really like that. The five succubae's urges tend to overpower the armor demon's, but when I've used most of their magical energy up the armor demon can, er, did take control."

"And what about the vampire?" Nodoka asked, her artifact open.

_Wow, someone's grown a backbone since coming here_, Ranma thought despite knowing that it probably was going to appear in the girl's magical book. "Lynx was the familiar of Nasham, and when I bound the armor demon the vampire was bound to me as well. No, he wasn't a day walker like Eva.

"Anyways, according to Lynx my cursed form is able to do minor shape changing, like a succubus, to alter my appearance and figure."

"So Sonya, Katrusia, Brea, Katia, and Cora are the succubae?" the mousy girl asked.

Nodding, he confirmed the girl's question despite not knowing all of the succubae's names. "They're part of my subconscious mind as well as my soul. They don't really say anything unless I'm unconscious or asleep."

"And the succubae also have the ability to slip into the dreams of those you've kissed," Nodoka added.

Seeing the looks on the faces of the girls he'd kissed, Ranma's defenses started to kick in as he felt their growing indignity and wounded pride take over (which was good considering Akane sometimes had killer intent when she was offended).

"So what are you going to do now?" Asuna asked.

Ranma shrugged, "Eva sent me a message. She wants me to contact a vampire that she knew when she was in the magical world."

"And you think we should head to Ostia without you," the hotheaded carrot top said, questioning the cursed boy's logic.

Looking at the girls before him the heir to the Saotome branch of the Anything Goes School hoped that the girls wouldn't jump to the wrong conclusions about what he was about to say. "Actually, no. Eva suggested a few leads that might lead to clues to finding out about Negi's father. If the leads hold true, then it could be a good chance for you girls to find someone to help give you some information and train you all so that you get stronger."

"What's the lead?" Kaede asked.

Pulling out a dark glowing sphere from his pocket Ranma held it up for the girls to see. "Take this and go to the Hellas Empire," Ranma explained, "ask for the Third Princess; Princess Theodora."

*****

The late summer sun shone warmly onto the girls on the veranda. Watching as Makie and Yuna practiced spells from Negi's copy of beginner spells Akira sighed. After another night of normal dreams the swimmer couldn't help but think that something had happened to Ranma. Tired but somehow restless, Akira had nothing to do but watch as the new magic users in the group practiced.

"He's alright," Haruna said as she took a seat beside Akira.

"I know." Looking at her colorless card on the table the athletic swimmer absentmindedly stirred her tea. "I know."

Akira sprawled out on the table. Defeated and tired she yawned as the usually perky class reporter flopped onto the chair opposite Akira and beside Haruna.

"I didn't sleep much last night either," Kazumi stated as she eyed the always energetic Makie and Yuna. "With the coordinates that Chachamaru gave me, Negi wanted me to look for the rest of the Ala Alba badges."

"Any luck?" the manga-ka asked.

Kazumi shrugged before mimicking the swimmer, joining her on the table in defeat and exhaustion. "It looks like two girls are six thousand kilometers east of Granicus, two several thousand kilometers south of them, and one more unaccounted for. I've got one satellite looking for Ranma at the Scorpion's Pit, and two headed east towards the other four signals."

Sighing, the class reporter mimicked the swimmer and flopped onto the table, closing her eyes. "It's not the same," Kazumi stated as she pulled a small monitor out of her pocket. "Even though I have just as many satellites with Negi as I did with Ranma, the little monitor isn't as big as the one I had with Ranma."

"At least you had a pactio with Ranma," Haruna grumbled as she penned chibi versions of the three of them with their artifacts.

"Ranma only had enough money for the two contracts," Akira stated.

"Yeah, I know," the manga-ka stated as she watched her drawings come to life. Popping off the paper the three figures danced around the table. "I'm just mad that you both got to kiss him again, even if it was just for a pactio."

Haruna turned to her two companions and rivals, disappointed that neither of them seemed to be paying attention to the drawings come to life. "Oh, you two are no fun at all!"

Drawing a larger version of the caricatures the frustrated manga-ka unleashed them on their real life inspirations.

*****

Crimson hated waiting. As a prize fighter and bounty hunter the cat warrior always took the fight to his opponents or bounty, leaving the legwork to his teammates. Still there were times when even he could afford to wait patiently, especially when he was waiting to meet the person who had just paid his team three hundred thousand drachma.

Though the cat fighter was sitting in the back room of a tavern the veteran bounty hunter in him knew that even if the room had only two obvious entrances (which he had been keeping an eye on) there were many more ways into the room.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," a young neko girl said as she appeared out of the shadows. Though she had some feline features, the girl was clearly more human then cat, perhaps a quarter-blood, if that.

Saying nothing Crimson nodded as the girl walked over to him.

"My master wants to know if you'd be interested in a partnership," the dark haired neko girl stated rather then asked. "It is his understanding that despite the recent success of your team in killing and collecting the bounty on one Ranma Saotome, the Wicked Redeemers are now short two fighters."

Gazing at the girl Crimson felt his right eye twitch at the mention of the loss of two of his teammates. Though Jugan and Mtenda would recover from their injuries, neither fighter would recover in time to be able to compete in the Ostia Championship Tournament.

"His impression is that your team is down to just yourself," the girl continued. "Despite your prowess in battle and in the arena, even you need a partner if you wish to win the Ostia Championship Tournament."

Crimson grunted, hating to admit that he needed help and that his teammates had been injured to the point where they would miss such an important tournament.

"That is why my master suggested that his longtime acquaintance Raksha the Golden Fang, join your team; if you would like to have a legendary fighter as your teammate of course."

Scoffing at the notion of the famous warrior would even consider participating in the tournament - much less joining a team that he had not founded - Crimson made his disbelief known as he stood up and turned to leave. Turning to leave he felt another presence slowly emerging from the shadows.

"I would not take the girl lightly," a deep, gruff voice stated.

Turning to face the newcomer Crimson felt his eyes bulge as he recognized the large form of the famous cat warrior.

"Raksha," he said in disbelief.

"The one and only," the titanic cat warrior replied.

*****

"You're sure about this?" Craig asked as he turned to face the girl that so closely resembled his childhood friend.

"I'm sure," Nodoka said firmly as she bowed to the man who had been so kind to her over the past few weeks.

"We're going to miss you," Christian said as he hugged the young mousy girl. "There go all those big pay days."

Chuckling Nodoka returned the playful man's hug. Turning to Lynn and Aisha she hugged the two elven maidens. "Take care of those two," she ordered.

"We will," Aisha replied. Though part of her was glad to see the girl go, another part of her knew that she would miss Nodoka's company. "Someone has to keep civilization safe from those bumbling fools."

Nodoka smiled as she broke the hug. "And remember to use the text to research the things you find, otherwise the merchants are going to just rip you off again."

"I will," Lynn assured her as the dark haired elf patted the pouch where she stored the text.

Craig sighed as he finished his cigarette. Flicking the butt into the burnt out fire pit he stood up. Pulling a package, he handed it to the mousy girl. "Here," he said, presenting it to her. "It's a parting gift for you and your friends from all of us."

Raising her brow Nodoka eyed the package.

"Arenak weapons," Lynn stated. "Perfect for taking down even the most powerful magical barriers and disrupting powerful spells thrown your way."

"Thank you," Nodoka replied. "I wish I had something to give all of you in return."

"Don't worry," Christian said, "you'll probably see us in Ostia anyways. Just treat us to dinner at the festival and we'll call it even."

Asuna watched as the mousy librarian said her final goodbyes to her new friends. Turning back to face her fellow Mahora girls the normally brash and outspoken girl couldn't find anything to say. At a loss for words given their situation she simply looked at the girls as they rummaged through the green dragon's treasure for useful artifacts and equipment.

"I wonder what this does," Mei said as she wiped the cobwebs and dust off a large mirror.

Looking at her reflection in the silvery mirror the young girl turned around.

"Mei?" Misora called out. "Where'd you go?"

"I'm right here," the now invisible girl replied as she waved her arms to get the older girl's attention.

"Oh my god!" Misora cried out as she saw Mei's image in the mirror. "She's trapped in the mirror!"

Rushing over to the Takane and Misora started to panic at their companion's disappearance.

"That children, is an invisibility mirror," the green dragon explained. "Anyone who looks at their reflection in the mirror is granted temporary invisibility. The mirror also allows others to see the reflection of anyone who is invisible. Since young Mei is invisible and standing in front of the mirror, you can see her reflection."

"How long does it last?" Kaede asked as she turned her attention back to the pile of weapons she was picking through.

"As long as she's in the same room as the mirror, or until she looks at her reflection again."

Taking the dragon's advice the girl quickly turned around and looked at her reflection.

"Don't scare us like that," Misora said as she hugged the younger girl, picking her up as she did so.

"Sorry."

Setting Mei down Misora smiled then looked into the mirror and vanished. "Adeat!" Using her artifact to enhance her speed the runner dashed through the dragon's lair as she took advantage of the mirror's invisibility.

"That's not good," Mei stated as she looked into the mirror, trying to keep tabs on her mischievous senior.

"If you don't mind me asking," Konoka said as she looked up from the piles of magical texts before her and at the still recovering green dragon, "what's your name? Or at least something we can call you other then 'the green dragon Ranma kissed'."

Chuckling at the girl's request the dragon flashed his large, pointy teeth in a mock smile. "Call me Arcades Sabboth," the dragon replied.

"Arcades Sabboth," Kokone said, as the small dark skinned girl turned away from the mirror and to the dragon. "Arcades Sabboth the elder dragon?"

"The one and only." Looking at the girl it was clear to the elder dragon that only she seemed to know the significance of his name.

"Forgive my companions' impertinence Lord Sabboth," the girl said as she bowed her head, "they are not of this world."

"No need to bow child," Arcades said with a hint of humor in his tone. "I am lord of a ruined city that has not seen glory since before the Great War. My people are dead; all that remains of them has been consumed by the overrun jungle."

"Your people?" Kaede asked as she set down the arenak dagger she'd been inspecting.

Realization hit Kokone as she connected the history lessons she'd learned as a child and the group's current situation. "The Nephalim, the last users of spirit magic."

Misora stopped dead in her tracks as she recognized the word. "Nephalim, as in the descendants of angels?" Had she been visible the other girls would have stared at her, but being invisible they only looked in her general direction.

"I had thought that all those with angelic ancestry in this world had died during the war," Arcades said. "And then I found that girl."

"I'm a boy," Ranma shouted, objecting to being called a girl.

"Over the last century few Nehalem grew wings when they reached the age of majority," the dragon explained, "so you can imagine my surprise when I found one with wings."

"But what if the cursed form is hanyo?" the swordswoman asked as she considered her own true form.

"Having spent centuries with the Nehalem I know the difference between spirit energy and magical energy." Looking down at Ranma, Arcades scrutinized the cursed martial artist. "There is within you great spiritual energy, as well as magical energies too. In your 'cursed form' you will probably be able to access more spiritual energy now that you have reached your majority."

"What's this 'majority' that you keep spouting off?" Ranma asked as he tried to process what the dragon was saying.

"You're a legal adult now," Kokone answered. "Some societies and cultures in the magical world seal the true power of their children until they reach adulthood. They do so because they feel that letting untrained children access such power could lead to those same children accidentally destroying a building or even cities. Those seals can be weakened with proper training or once they reach adulthood, also known as their majority because they can now access the majority of their magical or spiritual reserves."

Ranma slowly processed the information that the normally silent girl had provided him. "But my birthday was weeks ago. It was three days after we came to the magical world."

"Time flows differently in this world," the tiny girl countered. "Seven days in this world are roughly equivalent to a day in your world. If you've been here over three weeks then only three days have passed since you left England."

"What!" several girls shouted as they realized the implications of the information.

"You mean we can still make it back to Japan before the start of the new term?" an invisible Misora asked. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"You didn't listen," Takane snapped. "You were waxing poetic about missing school and being pushed back a grade and trying to make new friends with your new classmates."

Had she been visible Misora was sure that her classmates and companions would have seen a large sweat drop forming on her head. "I did do that, didn't I?" she said to no one in particular.

Looking over his things as he repacked his few possessions Ranma couldn't help but think about what Arcades and Kokone had told him about his cursed form. Hearing the dragon's slow, lumbering approach he looked up at the former guardian of Esperzoa.

"There are some things that I want you to have," the elder dragon said as he approached the cursed boy. "These are useless to me, but things that could help you greatly in your journey and training."

Slowly the green dragon's form began to shimmer as the green scales slowly shrunk and shifted, the neck shortened as the face withdrew. Watching the transformation Ranma was glad that his own transformation was much quicker and easier; even Ryoga's change appeared easy in comparison to the one that Arcades was undergoing. Gone was the imposing dragon, replaced with a regal elf in green scale mail.

"Follow me," Arcades instructed.

Ranma followed the dragon-elf through a secret passageway and into a small treasure room.

"Though you may not be a true Nehalem, I am sure that you will still be able to use these," the dragon in elf form stated. Casting a quick spell Arcades pointed to the far wall. "Those scrolls contain several different techniques that the angels and Nehalem used. As spiritual creatures they did not cast spells, at least not in the same way that magi do. Like demons and hanyo, the angels and Nehalem tend to use their spiritual energy to enhance themselves or to strengthen others. There are also scrolls describing winged combat, something I'm sure you'll need to learn if you wish to fight in your winged form."

"Um, about that," Ranma interrupted, "will I always have wings when I transform?"

Chuckling, Arcades shook his head. "You can hide your wings if you want to, but when you're emotional state is weak or when you're not in control as you were last night, your wings will probably appear. It's like hiding your ki energy - you don't expose it all the time, just when you need it. With training you may even be able to produce wings in your true form."

Ranma nodded, soaking in the dragon's knowledge for future reference.

Walking over to the wall Ranma pulled out a scroll. Staring at the blank scroll he turned to the dragon, "Is this some kind of joke?"

Arcades shook his head. "Just infuse it with ki," the dragon explained. "Only those with ki can read those scrolls, and those with wings are said to be able to absorb the knowledge just by infusing them with ki."

Thinking of the similarities between the scrolls and the Grandmaster's Scroll, Ranma nodded as he infused the scroll with his ki. Feeling an oddly familiar rush of energy passing through him Ranma quickly returned the scroll and then pulled out another one.

Sneaking out of the secret passage way Ranma pulled out the Grandmaster's scroll. Looking it over he wasn't surprised to see the knowledge from the Nehalem scrolls on the magical artifact. Still, even though he now possessed the knowledge on the scrolls, he knew that he still would have to practice and use those skills until he actually understood what they scrolls contained.

Having decided to use the night to get some much needed rest and to prepare for their departure Ranma and the Mahora girls were making the most Arcades' hospitality and generosity. With only a few hours until dawn Ranma knew that even he needed to rest himself despite the recharge he'd received after the succubae had drained the girls of their sexual desires.

"Ranma," a soft voice called out to him as he walked down the dark passage way.

Spinning around, Ranma spotted the blonde shadow mage/nun in training as she emerged from the shadows. Scanning his memory for the girl's name, Ranma blinked as he finally remembered it. "Hey Takane, I thought you girls were already asleep."

"I was," the blonde snapped.

"Sorry about that," Ranma apologized, realizing just how playful the succubae could be in the dreamscape.

"That doesn't change the fact that I'm dreaming of you doing…. impure and indecent…. things to me."

Preparing himself to get slugged or beaten in some way or form, Ranma braced himself. He'd seen the tape of Takane losing her clothes and then beating up the robot with clothes destroying lasers, how she knocked it out of the arena with one blow. Kinda like Akane in that regard, though substitute killer intent with, well, something that wasn't killer intent.

Seeing the girl breaking down and crying hit him harder then anything even Fate had hit him with (and that kid could punch). True, he barely knew the girl despite having rushed into a trap and saving her, or the fact that he'd kissed her passionately (and she had returned the kiss), but he knew he was responsible for her tears.

_Time to prove that you're a man_, Lynx sent him telepathically.

_Now is not the time to prove that I'm a man_, Ranma shot back.

_Not by kissing her you idiot!_ Lynx snapped. _ Comfort her, support her - be a man and take responsibility for what you've done!_

_Hey, I'm not the only one responsible for what happened_, the cursed boy countered.

_No, you're not, but you're the only one here_, Sonya sent, joining in on the supposedly private conversation.

_What, since when could you two even do this kind of thing?_ Ranma asked, running on a tangent rather then trying to deflect the issue.

_Since you started giving into your dark side_, Lynx replied. _ Now, go over there and comfort the poor girl_.

_Or would you rather she keep crying and attract the attention of the other girls that you've kissed_, the succubus sent.

Kneeling down Ranma reluctantly put his arms around the girl. Feeling her stiffen and initially pull away, Ranma pulled her to him as gently as he could (despite the fact that he was panicking and expecting to get laid out or beaten in some way or form).

_The fiancé brigade isn't around to beat you up if they see you with another girl_, Lynx sent, trying to alleviate some of Ranma's concerns.

_Fiancé brigade my ass_, Sonya scoffed,_ you've only kissed two of them. If they were really fiancés they'd have done more_.

Shaking his head, Ranma forced the vampire and succubus to quiet down as the sobbing Takane cried gently against his chest.

_Gently stroke her head_, Sonya advised. _ Like petting a c…dog_.

Slowly sitting down and leaning against a rock, Ranma gently comforted the crying girl. Losing track of time as he continued to hold her even as her breath grew shallow and steady as her tears ceased. Feeling her body going limp against his Ranma knew that she was asleep.

_I'll tell the girls to lay off of her tonight_, Sonya sent, a_t least for tonight_.

Too tired to think, much less to carry Takane back to the cavern where the other girls were sleeping, Ranma tried to make himself comfortable as he slowly gave into his own desire to get some sleep. Stifling a yawn Ranma closed his eyes.

Taking a deep breath Ranma casually stroked Akira's raven hair. Blinking he took a moment to look around. Sitting chest deep in the pool Ranma realized that he had slipped into the swimmer's dream.

"Ranma!" the swimmer exclaimed as she realized that the pigtailed martial artist was holding her. Pulling herself up to him Akira kissed him passionately.

Ranma savored the swimmer's kiss, even as he slowly disengaged from her embrace. "Well hello there," he said, smiling as he looked into her eyes.

"What happened to you?" she asked as she hugged him.

Even though he knew it was just a dream, Ranma couldn't help but notice that he actually was feeling her press herself against him. Then again, maybe it was because Takane was lying on top of him… Shaking his head he focused on Akira's dream as it really wasn't the place for him to start thinking of another girl while he was in the swimmer's dream.

"Too much," he finally replied. "Look, I'm off to do some more training. Tell Negi that I want in on Team Negima. I'll meet up with you all in Ostia. Let him know that Asuna, Kaede, Konoka, Setsuna and… some others are going to meet up with him in Granicus too, after they take care of some other business."

"But, you need to do something about the pactio cards," Akira interrupted. "Kazumi and I can't use our artifacts until you decide if want to keep us as your ministras. Your trial period ended on your birthday."

"Oh, I forgot about that," Ranma replied. "I thought I had already had my birthday and that it would last until my next birthday."

Akira smiled as Ranma tried to explain things. Breathing deeply she nuzzled against his chest. "I wish I'd been there to help you celebrate your birthday."

Stroking her hair, Ranma kissed her forehead. "I'm not big on birthdays," he stated. "But maybe next year. Right now, you have to wake up."

Snapping awake, the swimmer instantly sat up. Pulling herself from the desk she'd been sitting at when she'd fallen asleep. "Ranma," she whispered as she tried to recall her dream. Wiping the drool off her face she checked to make sure that she was proper before dashing out of the room in search of Negi.

*****

A/N

Back in chapter 1 after Ranma met with Eva for the first time he gave a brief explanation of his situation (curse, fiancés, opponents/rivals, and memorable fights) to Eva and the girls in Eva's castle. Haruna was the only one to ever bring it up outside of the castle. Akira knows that Ranma's been engaged against his will, but doesn't know the full extent of the fiancé brigade.

Ranma absorbing the knowledge of the ki activated Nephalim scrolls would still be recorded to the Grand Master's Scroll because the artifact records techniques that Ranma has seen and allows temporary mastery of those techniques when he selects them so long as he is able to generate the needed energy, be it ki, chi, mana, or chakra.

While cannon-Ranma doesn't know his own birthday, fanon-Ranma knows his birthday, he just doesn't care enough about it to celebrate it.

Yes, another chapter even though I'd said that the last chapter wouldn't be posted until after the Super Bowl.

I have to admit, my confidence in this fic has taken a hit, especially after reading several other fics, in particular the ones on my favorite list and some of those by my favorite authors.

Maybe I'm pushing out too many chapters a week, and just need to take a short break from the fic. Or maybe I need to do what some other authors do and take up another fic to keep from getting into a rut with my writing.

We'll see what happens.

Read and Review…. Please 

Dreamingfox


	17. Chapter 17

Author's Notes

This work is fan-fiction, a work of fiction using ideas and established characters from other works for the purpose of entertainment, not for profit. All ideas and views expressed are fictional and do not reflect the actual views/beliefs of the author.

That said - Congratulations to the Pittsburg Steelers on winning their 6th Super Bowl. While I would have preferred that the Packers had won, the Steelers are my second favorite team.

Thanks to the trio of beta readers who have helped make this fic much better then it really would be if I were doing it myself. Despite my enjoyment of anime and manga, I obviously don't know as much about what I'm writing as my betas (who have had to correct me several times and keep me straight). Being a professional slacker I don't do much other read manga, watch anime, read fan fiction, and slack off. As such I have nothing worth suing over.

Anyways, I'll be taking more time between posting chapters, especially now that things are starting to warm up and I've got a few other things to take care of. If I do another fic I'm gunning for a Ranma x Nadesico fic, AU Nadesico with Ranma from after the manga.

Thanks for the many useful reviews and suggestions. I hope that this chapter answers some of the questions that you've had following the last few chapters.

As always, read and review. Good reviews will help me post more and better chapters.

*****

Looking around at picturesque valley as the sun rose Negi and Kotaro couldn't help but feel amazed at the pure beauty of the magical world. Stifling a yawn the pintsized teacher wiped away the last dredges of sleep out of his eyes.

"Wow," Kotaro sighed as he soaked in the scenery, "I never realized just how –"

BOOM!

Any thoughts of beautiful scenery or of sleep quickly evacuated the minds of the two youths as they watched one of the mountain tops vanish in an explosion of magical energy. Exchanging a concerned look with each other, the duo raced towards the source of the explosion. Though there appeared to be few people in the valley the pair knew that if something was randomly destroying the mountains innocents were bound to be injured.

BOOM!

Another mountain vanished. Covering their eyes the boys failed to keep out the blinding light of the second explosion. Opening their eyes they blinked out the image burned into their eyes as they continued on. Tracking the source by the large output of magical energy rather then by sight they quickly found their target.

"Hey," a familiar voice called out to them, "I didn't think you two were here yet. I was just trying to figure out what kind of finishing move each of you should have."

*****

Looking at the chibi versions of Lynx and Nasham, Ranma couldn't help but stifle a laugh as the super-deformed versions of the armor demon and vampire checked their surroundings.

"Aw," Mei cooed as she picked up the little vampire, "he's so cute."

"You're so dead," the chibi vampire said as he looked up at Ranma.

Ranma chuckled as she considered if she should project the succubae into her feather clones. Using one of her angelic feathers Ranma found that she could create a much more durable clone of herself and without the drawbacks (energy drain) of using the shadow clone technique. Not wanting to constantly argue with the vampire through telepathy (as she sometimes found herself talking to herself instead) Ranma adapted the angelic clone technique to create a temporary body for Lynx. Due to the nature of the bond between the vampire and the armor demon, the cursed boy turned girl couldn't create a body for just Lynx as Nasham had to come out as well. Though it was very cute and cuddly as Kokone, Misora, Mei, and Konoka seemed to always be hugging the chibi vampire. With his hard, steely skin, Nasham was much less cuddly then the vampire, making him less desirable for the girls (not to mention that he only spoke in a deep, threatening voice even when he didn't want too. Standing off to the side away from the girls chibi Nasham shook his head as Mei spun Lynx around.

Rescuing Lynx from the fiendish clutches of chibi obsessed girls, Ranma wrestled the vampire away from Mei. "Sorry, I need my guides back." An hour later Ranma finally managed to get Lynx away from the girls when she dispelled the technique. Using two feathers she once again gave Lynx and Nasham physical bodies. Though they were still super-deformed, they at least had wings, making them much cuter (but also made it easier for them to evade the girls).

"Sorry about that," Ranma said as ducked Lynx's bombing run. "Seriously, I didn't know you'd turn out like that or that the girls were going to be so…"

"Possessive, obsessed," Lynx volunteered, "crazy!"

"Yeah…." Ranma agreed. "So, where's your old master?"

Flying over to the dragon's map, Lynx eyed Ranma irritably.

"Sorry," Ranma repeated. "What else do you want me to say?"

Grumbling Lynx landed by the map. "Last I heard my master was hiding out in the ruins near Ostia."

"Ostia, that's where Negi-sensei's headed, right?" Misora asked as she packed up her things.

"Um, yeah," the pigtailed martial artist replied offhandedly.

"Then why don't we just head there with you?" the peppy runner added.

"What, we're going to Ostia with Ranma?" Mei repeated as she caught the tail end of the older girl's suggestion.

"I thought we were going to find the Princess from Hellas?" Konoka piped in as she looked up from her packing.

"But wouldn't she be heading to Ostia for the 20th anniversary, just like the other heads of state," Misora happily stated. "I heard that on the news when we were in Megalomesembria. Several prominent senators are headed there as well. Each nation is sending a delegation to support their national prize fighting champions in the Ostia Championship Tournament."

"Oh, we can just head there and meet up with the Princess then," chibi Lynx concluded.

Ranma was used to girls jumping to the wrong conclusions (even if the facts did seem to support those conclusions), but following the turn the conversation had taken the usually quick martial artist failed to keep up with the girls. Sometimes being a girl part of the time just wasn't enough, especially when even your male allies side against you.

*****

"I can't believe you let those girls walk all over you," Lynx chided as he flew ahead of Ranma. "What kind of 'man' can't stand up to a woman, much less a few girls?"

"Yeah, yeah," Ranma scowled as she glided behind the chibi vampire and armor demon, "laugh it up you two, laugh it up."

Flying behind the two chibi constructs Ranma knew that neither of the two projections from her mind/soul bore the normal weaknesses that they had before being bound to him. Using Ranma's incomplete cloning technique to pull out the demon and his familiar resulted in two incomplete super-deformed clones instead.

Feeling the stiffness of the muscles in her back, shoulders, stomach, and chest Ranma knew that despite her constant training her muscles were straining from the new wings and from having to stay rigid to maintain proper balance as she flew. Catching a slight breeze the winged girl slowly descended while looking for a clearing to land in.

"Hey, how do I land?" Ranma asked as she realized he'd never actually landed before.

Lynx and Nasham looked at each other, not sure what to say or how to instruct the cursed boy turned girl to land. Having never flown before the two had no idea how to properly land, but they just didn't want to admit it to Ranma.

Seeing that neither Lynx nor Nasham was giving him a clear answer Ranma quickly tried to recall what little she'd scene of Lynx's landings back in Arcades' lair. Slowing her descent Ranma tried to bring her wings in to avoid the jungle's canopy. Still lacking complete control of her wings Ranma instead retracted them into her body as she removed the only things keeping her in the air.

"That's not good," Lynx stated as Ranma's momentum took the martial artists right into the tree tops rather then the clearing that the cursed boy turned girl had originally planned.

Lynx and Nasham watched as the redheaded girl quickly dropped from the skies. Flying after the cursed martial artist they watched, half in amusement, half in concern, as Ranma crashed through the thick jungle canopy. Being much smaller and with less momentum and speed behind them the two managed to weave through the branches, vines, and trees as they chased after Ranma.

"This is kinda like tracking you back in the day," Lynx mused as he followed the trail of chaos and destruction that Ranma had left. Finding Ranma tangled in several vines and branches the chibi vampire smiled. "If only I had one of those camera thingies."

*****

Hearing the rushing air as she flew through the skies Ranma couldn't help but think that the Saotome School of Anything Goes' aerial specialty of large leaps and jumps paled in comparison to actually flying. After the one failed attempt at landing and several more slower attempts Ranma was starting to get a better feel for how to land without injuring himself (physically or her pride), if grabbing onto a branch and twirling to slow her momentum and sticking a dismount counted as a successful landing.

Flying ahead of the girls as they trekked towards Ostia Ranma found that flying had several different affects on her body. Her already strong leg muscles (used for leaping great heights and the gentle landings) grew stronger and larger as she learned to take off quickly and land gracefully (after having had to crash into the trees, rocks, and river). Her lean but tone muscles in her shoulders, chest, back, and stomach also adapted to the stress put on her body from the use of her wings and maintaining her posture while in the air (leaving her legs out of position threw off turns due to the physics and aerodynamics involved).

Despite the soreness she felt after flying for a few hours, Ranma found that the advantages (faster travel time, higher vantage point) far outweighed the disadvantages.

Spotting a small herd of some gigantic elk like creatures Ranma decided to see just how useful Arcades' advice on hunting from the air would be. Seeing that the creatures were casually drinking from the river the pigtailed girl flew high into the air as she hid herself in the glaring sun. Flapping her wings Ranma quickly descended upon the unsuspecting herd. Folding her wings she dropped on her intended target and grabbed the beast's antlers. Using her momentum Ranma snapped the creature's neck quickly while also using it to break his fall while the rest of the herd quickly fled.

*****

"Try again," Sonya ordered as the succubus looked at Ranma's failed attempt to change his male features. "You can't just rely on our telepathy to hide your features. Just concentrate on what you want to look like and push some energy into it."

Never one to sit around and do nothing (watching TV didn't count) Ranma had decided to create a body for Sonya to inhabit. Focusing on how to change his appearance Ranma struggled with the entire concept of changing his appearance. "What's wrong with the way I look?"

"Your face is on wanted posters idiot!" Asuna shouted as she tended the fire. "Even though the bounty on you has been claimed you don't want them to over turn it and put another bounty on your head."

"Look, I know it's hard, but you need to learn how to change your appearance yourself."

Ranma watched as Sonya changed her features to look like Asuna. "It's not that hard. I managed to do it with the ki energy in the feather clone you gave me. Hell, I started out as you and turned into a much sexier woman! If you can master this in your male form you can consciously change your appearance so that you at least look roughly the same in either your male or female forms."

Blinking, Ranma slowly let the succubus' words soak in. "So instead of being a hot chick or stud, I'd look like an androgynous nobody?"

Burying her head in her hands Sonya reverted to her favorite appearance (tall and lean with perky breasts and flaming red hair, and sharp facial features with high cheek bones, and emerald green eyes). "For someone who can quickly analyze and deconstruct a fighting style to exploit its weaknesses and adapt moves to work to your benefit, you really are an idiot!"

Closing his eyes Ranma focused. Feeling his ki energy coursing through his head Ranma waited for the sensation to subside. Opening his eyes he looked into the mirror. "What the hell happened to my hair?"

Looking at Ranma as he practiced Asuna couldn't help but clutch her stomach as she laughed out loud.

"What's so funny?" Takane asked as she looked around the clearing. "Did Ranma crash into another tree?" Spotting Ranma's transformation the shadow mage tripped on a root.

"Asuna, I've brought more…" Konoka stopped dead in her tracks as she spotted Ranma. Not realizing that the smaller girl had stopped suddenly Setsuna bowled into her, knocking them both down and sending several branches and twigs flying.

"What are you three doing down there?" Misora asked as she stepped over the other girls. Following Takane's outstretched arm the speedy runner looked at the cursed martial artist. "Did you finally get tired of your hair cut? I realize that some of the girls"

"Takane," Kokone coughed.

"- like your old hair cut, but I don't think replacing your hair with feathers is going to help you out with the girls," Misora finished. "Unless that was what you were aiming for."

Laughing, Sonya couldn't help but pile on. "That look would definitely make your fiancé brigade have second thoughts about you."

*****

Tending the fire on the first watch Asuna looked over at her slumbering companions. Though Ranma was sleeping in his bedroll (which he pulled from something he called stuff space or weapon space) the now impure nun in training had managed to roll over to his side. Sighing as she noticed the older Takane snuggling up to Ranma, the normally brash and outspoken girl wasn't sure what to make of the sight. Sure she had felt glad to see that Ranma was okay, but having him forcefully kissing her and watching him kiss Takane, Setsuna, Kaede, and Konoka had, well, it was strange.

And then there was the dream. She didn't even dare mention the dream she'd had last night, one of the reasons why she was putting off going to sleep tonight. Dreaming of fighting Ranma to a standstill, having him declaring her as his equal, and then making out with him had been, well, different.

"You like him, don't you?" Katia asked as she walked over to Asuna.

Looking up at the succubus that Ranma had given form to (having dismissed Sonya so that she could rest) Asuna shook her head, trying to deny the demon's claim. "No, it's nothing like that."

"Then what is it?" the petit brunette asked.

"I'm just relieved that he's alive. I, we, thought he was dead, you know, with the whole reward poster thing and all."

Putting her hand on the carrot-top's shoulder Katia sat down beside her. "You do know that my sisters and I can enter your dreams, right?"

Asuna nodded, curious but uncertain if she really wanted to know that the succubae had been the cause of her dreams about Ranma.

"When we give you a dream, we work with what you're feeling and thinking during the day," the brunette explained. "If you didn't feel something for Ranma, I wouldn't have anything to work with. You like him, and you want him to like you, but you don't feel worthy of him unless you can prove that you're his equal. It may not be love as you define it, but there's something there."

Not sure what to say, Asuna simply shook her head. Standing up she began to march around the clearing as she resumed her duty as the first watch. _Do I really like him? No, I must be latching onto him just because Takahata-sensei turned me down. Maybe Ranma has another curse that makes girls like me fall for him. That's why he has all those fiancés_.

Sighing as she stood up, Katia hoped that Asuna would figure out her feelings for Ranma. Making a mental note to tell her sisters not to mess with the carrot-top's dreams, Katia knew that Ranma wouldn't want them to fall for him because of the girls' playful adventures into their dreams. The cursed boy had enough trouble with his psychotic fiancés, he didn't need any more girl issues because the succubae were being playful with the girls that he'd kissed. As it was Ranma was still dealing with the fall out from the fight the other night.

*****

"Our little boy is growing up," Sonya declared to Anya as the duo watched Ranma slip into another girl's dreams on his own. Having stayed behind to assist in helping Ranma's subconscious mind process all that he'd learned over the course of the day, Sonya couldn't help but beam with pride and share the moment with her sibling. Anya, as the one in charge of maintaining Ranma's mental defenses as he slept, was the only one available to share in the joy of seeing Ranma easily and consciously slipping into the girls' dreams.

"Who's he visiting," Lynx asked.

"I think he's visiting the hanyo's dream," Anya stated.

*****

Releasing her wings Setsuna arched her back, relieving the tensions in her aching muscles. Feeling the rush of cooling water cascade over her as she stepped into the waterfall, the hanyo let out a sigh of relief as she washed away the worries from the day.

Blinking the water from her eyes Setsuna gradually focused her sight on the glowing figure before her. "Ranma," she whispered, not sure what to make of his presence before her. Standing knee deep in the pool the winged girl averted her eyes, not bothering to cover her naked body as Ranma took her hands into his. Looking into his blue eyes she smiled. Sighing she leaned into the larger boy, resting her head on his chest as he wrapped his wings around them both.

*****

Staring up at the starry night Ranma couldn't help but wonder just how complicated things had gotten with the girls. Sure, the pigtailed martial artist had heard from his high school companions that kisses tended to change things between guys and girls, but Ranma had never expected things to get so… complicated.

"I went into her dream thinking that I'd get some pointers on how to fly and land," Ranma sighed. "I didn't think she actually felt something for me."

Pacing around the campfire Katia stopped as she considered the boy that she was bonded too. "I can't give you all the answers," the succubus replied. "Girls are just as complex as the hardest martial arts technique that you've ever tried to break down, assess, and reconstruct – just in a different way. We don't think the same way that you boys do. Kissing them changed things. It's made them… rethink their relationship to you."

"Urg!"

"What you need to do is figure out how you feel about each of them," Katia suggested. "I realize that you don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but you need to address your relationship with each of them, and figure out what is most important to you. As an honorable man you need to follow your heart. Feelings may be hurt, but failing to act because you fear hurting others feelings would not be honorable, it would be pure cowardice."

Mulling things over in silence Ranma finished his shift on guard duty. Watching the red dawn Ranma waited for the girls to stir before slowly moving away to perform several katas.

"Ranma," Konoka called out gently, "I made some stew for breakfast."

Finishing the kata Ranma nodded.

"You really worked up a sweat today."

Still lost in thought, Ranma grunted as he wiped the sweat from his brow. Rolling his shoulders he cracked his back.

"Is something wrong Ranma?" the observant girl asked. "Did you have an interesting dream last night?"

In the process of putting his arms into the sleeves of his shirt Ranma stiffened and jerked at the implication. Hearing an audible rip as the seams on his shirt came apart he quickly but gently pulled his arms back out. "Oh man," he moaned, taking advantage of the clothing malfunction to avoid the subject of interesting dreams.

Stripping off his shirt Ranma pulled a needle and some thread out of stuff space as he examined his damaged shirt. Walking over to the slowly dying campfire he stitched the seam together. Testing the strength of the patch job he nodded before setting it on a branch as Konoka handed him a bowl.

Feeling several sets of eyes on him Ranma looked up only to see several girls focusing their attention on their breakfast. Hearing some light giggling he turned around to see Kokone, spoon in mouth and grinning smugly. Not sure what to make of the situation the cursed boy shrugged as he turned his attention back to his food and contemplated his worn out clothes.

While he hadn't initially noticed the changes immediately after the fight with Arcades, Ranma had slowly noticed that his clothes not longer fit as well as they used to. His pants were now showing several centimeters of skin around his ankles, his old shirts didn't quite cover his stomach anymore not to mention that they were getting tighter around his shoulders.

Even in his female form his clothes didn't fit the same as they used to. Then again, that form had undergone the most changes. She was no longer the busty short girl - Ranma's female form was nearly as tall as his male form. Though her shoulders fit her shirt, her larger torso and bust strained the tank top.

Pondering the need for a new wardrobe, Ranma finished his breakfast he quickly before washing his bowl and chopsticks. Occasionally stealing glances at the girls as he packed his things and put his things into stuff space. Taking off his familiar tank top he turned his back to the girls as he walked away and slowly focused on extracting several feathers.

"Oh my god!" Misora exclaimed giddily. "Did you see his ripped abs?"

Takane and Asuna blushed as they stole sideways glances at the cursed boy's retreating form. On the other side of the campfire Setsuna averted her eyes as she focused on her breakfast.

"It's like he's wearing clothes that are too small," Mei interjected as she shook her head disapprovingly.

"I guess someone's going to have to take him clothes shopping when we got to town," Konoka suggested with a smile. "But until then, I guess I could make a shirt or vest out of the hide from the…"

"Thoctar," Kokone added.

"- thoctar," Konoka finished. "It's large enough that we could make an entire outfit for him if we need to."

"We could use some of those phytohydra flowers," Kokone offered. Seeing the blank looks on her companions she pointed to the large mass of thorny vines and distinct red flowers. "If there are berries then we can combine them to make a nice black too. Just don't let the vines get a hold of you, those are deadly."

*****

Feeling the gentle rush of air as she slowly adapted to the currents Ranma smiled. "Man, Pantyhose Taro must have loved flying around in his cursed form."

"It is exhilarating," Lynx agreed as he flew beside the pigtailed girl. "No wonder the avens races were so envied."

Seeing that the girls were still finishing packing up Ranma decided to practice some of the airborne techniques.

"That looks so amazing," Konoka remarked as she looked up at the flying trio. Looking over to her childhood friend she smiled. "Do you ever do something like that?"

Freezing at the mention of her wings Setsuna nearly dropped her bedroll. Though all the girls had seen her wings during their fight with Ranma, no one had dared to mention seeing them since. "Not really," she muttered.

"That's not good," Misora reported as she directed the girls' attention back up to the winged boy.

Looking up the girls watched as Ranma rapidly plummeted.

Fighting for her breath Ranma tried to clear her throat of the large bug that she had accidentally inhaled just after completing a spiraling dive bomb. Gradually pulling out of her sudden descent as she spread her wings, Ranma tried to glide down to the girls. Crashing down to the camp he clutched his throat.

"Oh my! What do we do?" Takane shouted as she rushed over to the fallen martial artist.

"Adeat!" Konoka shouted as she got ready to heal Ranma. Feeling Kaede grabbing her wand hand she looked up at the ninja questioningly.

"Remember," the ninja said as she shook her head, "she doesn't take well to magic. Besides, we don't know what's wrong yet."

"Ranma!" Asuna shouted as she and Takane carried her out of the crater she had created. "Say something."

Crashing down beside them Nasham and Lynx managed to land a bit more gracefully then Ranma had, though the duo did crack the ground they landed on. Grabbing the red faced Ranma Nasham pulled her away from the blonde and carrot-top.

"Sorry about this," Lynx said as he balled his fist and punch Ranma hard in the stomach.

Spitting out the bug Ranma gasped for breath as her red tint slowly faded.

Turning to Setsuna, Lynx shook his head. "You need to give the poor boy flying lessons."

*****

A/N

Yep, another quick chapter.

Thanks for all the support from the loyal readers. I like your ideas, but I don't know if I could pull them off since I don't know as many anime/manga series as I should.

Anyways, I've got to start working on taxes and such so I probably won't be updating as much in the next few weeks. That and I want to finish watching Baki the Grappler, and a few other anime. And then there's Valentine's Day coming up too so I've got to spend time with the wife, especially since she was pretty much a football widow for twenty some weeks.

I should have something up in the next week or two (or three).

Later.

Dreamingfox


	18. Chapter 18

Author's Notes –

Thanks of course to my betas – Teturo, KitsuneOverlord, and Lance. Unfortunately due to the fact that my betas have more of a life then I do, I am looking to add another beta to this fic. Aside from bouncing ideas off of my betas they also have to deal with actually reading my fic and keeping me and my ideas inline. Oh, and trying to get back to me as soon as possible whenever I send something their way. If you think you can handle my over-eager and sometimes controlling personality then hit me up and let me know.

Aside from that, this fic hit 200 reviews! That's faster then I expected but slower then I had wanted. I had hoped to have a better following for this fic, but I realize that not everyone likes the characters or the direction that I've taken them.

For everyone who thinks that Ranma having all those girls attracted to him would be a problem, well, it is – Ranma needs to get over himself and has to learn to deal with it so that when he does go back to Nerima he can deal with his fiancés. If you think I need to trim down the harem, well, I am trying to. Not everyone has a crush on the guy, but unfortunately he is one of the few males that the girls are around regularly, and he's at least hit puberty, so the girls who aren't fixated on a ten/eleven year old (or their 16/17 year old alter egos) are going to have to deal with their own possible attraction to Ranma.

That said - I know that this fic won't please everyone, or work out the way that you may want it to, but you'll just have to deal or get over it. Hey, I wasn't happy that Rowling didn't have Harry explore Neville's past more in HBP and the fact that he had a minimal role in DH, but that didn't mean I just gave up on reading those two books. (No, I'm not comparing myself to Rowling; I'm just using an example.)

Thanks to the loyal readers whose support and reviews have helped me out of my little funk and motivated me to improve the quality of the fic. Thanks everyone.

*****

"You're sure about this?" Chisame asked as she eyed her three love-struck classmates.

"Yes," Haruna snapped irritably.

"Of course," Kazumi added. "Ranma's one of the strongest fighters we know."

"Rakan's the strongest fighter we know," the internet idol countered. "If we need someone to fill a spot why not have Jack on the team?"

"Because Negi wants to use this as a way to test the team," Akira replied. "Besides, Ranma's been called out by a bounty hunter. If he doesn't fight this bounty hunter in the arena then they're going to come after us. They know we're going to be in Ostia – imagine how much harder it will be for us to remain hidden even with our disguises."

Chisame sighed. While Team Negima could use another fighter or two, the team manager couldn't help but think that it would be easier to just eliminate the threat to the team outside of the ring then having to face them in the arena. Sure, Negi and the others wouldn't approve of such underhanded methods, and they wanted to test themselves against some of the magic world's strongest fighters, but by doing so they were clearly displaying their skills and powers to the mysterious Fate. Even if the disguises were able to fool the majority of the population the internet idol knew that they wouldn't be able to fool the white haired boy.

"Fine," she finally said, relenting to the other girls. "But let him know that he can't go all out. He's supposed to be our wild card against Fate."

"We'll try," Akira blushed as she recalled the last dream she'd had Ranma visit.

"And he's going to be listed as 'Ranko Tendo'," Chisame added.

"What?!" the bridge bunnies shouted in unison.

"He's obviously not going to enter as himself," the internet idol stated. "I'm not sure what Fate and his followers know about Ranma, but I don't want him advertising that he's alive. Even going as Ranko should be clue enough to anyone with half a brain that it's him, especially if he used same family name. I already filed the paperwork yesterday; they just sent me to letter accepting the addition to Team Negima. I still can't believe that Negi used his father's name."

*****

Sitting in his cabin on the sea and air faring ship _Predator_, Ranma looked down at the instructions that Sonya had given him. Taking a deep, relaxing breath, the gender changing martial artist slowly forced himself into a meditative trance. _Akira, Asuna, Haruna, Kaede, Kazumi, Konoka, Setsuna, Takane_, he thought as he focused on those girls.

Peering through the fog Ranma found himself standing on the deck of the Predator. Looking around he pushed the fog back, revealing more and more of the ship with each glance.

"Ranma," a startled voice called out.

"Ranma," another echoed.

_Not good_, Ranma thought as Akira and Asuna appeared before him. Slowly several other girls appeared as he tried to overlap their dreams. _Focus,_ he reprimanded himself, _focus on the message_.

Seeing the naked girls rushing him, Ranma couldn't help but give into his primal instinct of self preservation.

"Ranma!" Haruna shouted as she chased after him.

"Ranma!" Takane echoed as she wrapped herself around his waist.

"Oh my!" Konoka exclaimed as she watched Ranma try to free himself from the shadow mage, all the while trying to keep the other girls from latching onto him.

Haruna groaned as she opened her eyes to the bright morning sun reflecting off the mirror on the dresser. Closing her eyes the manga-ka tried to recall the interesting dream she'd suddenly woken up from. Ranma had definitely been there. Not just someone looking like Ranma, but the cursed boy himself. Smiling at the though of the pigtailed martial artist entering her dreams Haruna turned onto her back.

Feeling the warm morning sunshine on her face the girl blushed as she recalled seeing the martial artist standing on the bow of an ocean faring ship as he waited for her to come to him. For some reason the cursed boy had looked panicked and started to run from her. But she hadn't been alone as Akira, Kazumi, Setsuna, Asuna, and Takane that she vaguely recalled as being in the Mahora High School had all rushed to embrace Ranma.

_That's why he was running_, Haruna thought as she sat up. _But why would they be in my dream?_

Across the hallway Akira and Kazumi were each thinking the same thing.

*****

"Aw shut up," Ranma moaned as he endured the succubae's laughter.

"You're supposed to be the one controlling the dream," Katia shrieked as she fought for breath (which was odd since it was the dreamscape).

"I told you overlapping dreams wouldn't be easy," Sonya snickered. "You really needed to start with two people, but five was just dumb. I don't even try to do more then two; you're in way over your head."

"No more running," Brea smirked. "No more relying on dreams, you need to talk to them and look them in the eyes."

"Be a man!" Lynx shouted.

Shaking his head Ranma eyed the vampire. "Man, are you ever going to get over having the girls manhandling you?"

"Stop deflecting! Besides, you're the one that they're going to be handling," Lynx chortled.

*****

Konoka couldn't help but giggle. Recalling the dream of Ranma being chased by the other girls she'd had she couldn't help but giggle. Holding onto the feather that Ranma had given her she looked into the mirror at her reflection. Though she knew that she hadn't really changed her appearance she couldn't help but wonder what she'd look like when she was 16.

While the enchanted feather (using spiritual energy instead of magical energy, thus disrupting scrying, cameras, or other magical means of dispelling or seeing through illusions) created an illusion to others based on the girls' appearance. If asked the crewmen would merely remember vague discriptions of the individual girls and wouldn't be able to place them even if they were standing next to their pictures on the reward poster.

"Morning," Kaede whispered as she stood beside the smaller girl.

"Morning," Konoka replied with a slight smile.

"Something funny?" the taller girl asked despite knowing the answer.

"An interesting dream; and you were in it."

Hearing the other girl confirm her suspicion Kaede smiled. "He is pretty cute."

"And he's very dependable."

"Not to mention that he's pretty much the only guy around our age whose spent any amount of time around us lately."

"So you like him?"

Pausing, the ninja considered her classmate's question. "Ranma-dono did not react well when Haruna-san and Takane-san acted so aggressively, degozaru. If Ranma-dono has an interest, Seesha will wait for him to make the first move."

Konoka smiled. Taking a deep breath she turned to look at the sun rising over the sea. "You'd give up your chance with him just because you don't want to overwhelm him? Do you really think that one more person chasing after him is going to more then he can handle?"

Sighing Kaede leaned against the rail of the ship. "No," she replied. "I'm not throwing myself into the… fray because there's more to life then just falling in love, degozaru. We all have our lives ahead of us; time enough for each of us to find love."

Smiling Konoka nodded. "I just want him to be happy too. I'm flattered that he thinks I'm… attractive and cute, but like you said, we have our whole lives ahead of us." _Why rush into something just because someone else wants you do get married_.

Sitting up in his cabin Ranma couldn't help but overhear the two girls' conversation even though they had tried to speak in soft, gentle tones so that no one else would listen in but even the thick floor of the deck overhead failed to keep him from listening in. Then again, they were only a few feet over his head, standing just over the open window to his cabin.

Smiling slightly from the relief at not needing to sort out their feelings for him, Ranma quickly dressed. Though she was supposed to maintain his female form during the journey (whenever they were in any town or around other travelers) the cursed boy had decided to change into his male form for the night. Grabbing a wet towel he wiped his face, clearing out the last remnants of exhaustion Ranma splashed a bit of water onto his face.

Wiping her face dry the redhead looked at her reflection. Plucking two feathers from her wings she concentrated, forcing her wings to disappear. Though she wanted to create a feather clone to project Nasham (and Lynx into the extra feather) into Ranko knew that having the duo (or any of the succubae) around would probably draw unwanted attention to the already large group. Stashing the feathers into stuff-space Ranko was glad that she'd mastered that little trick.

Grabbing her some of the new clothes that the other girls had purchased for her (after they had sold off some of the arenak that Arcades had given them). Sighing, Ranko put on the red, backless vest and dark green pants. While the pants were large enough to fit when she was in her male form, the vest was very gender specific as it was rare for guys to wear backless shirts. Throwing in a waterproof cloak made from the same murlodont that had supplied the skin/fur for her pants and vest, Ranma hoped that she wouldn't be force to change back into her male form.

Walking up to the deck Ranma assisted the sailors as they prepared the ship for the day's journey. The_ Predator_ was unlike anything that Ranma had expected. Designed specifically for the oceans, the ship could fly or be sailed depending on the weather, cargo, and purpose of the trip. While not as fast as airship the_ Predator_ could land on water, making it much easier to dock in the various harbors along the coastline and the many small islands that did not have room for an airstrip.

"Oy, Ranko," Sisay, the ship's captain, shouted as she greeted the redhead.

Looking down at deeply tanned woman Ranko waved in response before she finished tying the knot. Concentrating she pulled out her wings before leaping out of the crow's nest. Spreading her wings she gracefully glided down over twenty meters despite the chaotic winds and landed lightly.

"You never cease to amaze me," the muscular woman stated as she approached the smaller Ranko. Despite her recent growth spurt which made her just as tall as Kaede, Ranko was still a head shorter then Sisay. "I'd normally call someone who jumped off the crow's nest a suicidal fool, but you make it look like child's play. Even the Leonin and Pardic sailors wouldn't dare to try such a stunt. Then again, I've never seen any of the cats with a set of wings."

Ranko suppressed a twitch at the mention of her feline nemesis, managing to turn it into a smirk as the ship's captain praised her. Though she was often used to being the best, it was always nice to hear someone praise her, especially when that person was not one to offer praise easily. Sensing the larger woman's pensive mood she knew something was amiss. "Something wrong captain?"

"Don't put your wings away yet," the older woman replied. "If Stark's right then we've got to deal with some pirates."

"I was just in the crow's nest and I didn't see anything," Ranko stated. Though she didn't doubt the captain's second, it was strange that she hadn't seen them with her enhanced sight while she was helping set up the sails.

"Course you wouldn't, they're still out of eye sight. Probably a three kilometers off," the captain explained. "Sailing the skies ain't like sailing the seas, the clouds and mists make it harder to see other flying ships at that distance. If not for Stark's scrying we wouldn't have picked them up. From what Stark says we've got two cruiser class ships moving in on an intercept course. We should be able to outrun them, but be ready just in case."

"A cruiser?" Ranko asked as he considered their options. Though still not completely sure about the classification of ships, Ranko knew enough to know that cruiser class were one class up on the_ Predator_ in regards to fire power though they sacrificed speed.

"Ay, with the winds the way they are they'll be on us soon," Sisay explained. "Since you and Setsuna are the only ones who can fly I'm depending on you both to cut any harpoons that they may hit us with. If they've got fliers then you'll need to deal with them otherwise the Predator's easy prey for them."

Ranko nodded. She knew that the_ Predator_ was primarily a whale hunter. Though she looked like a regular ship, the Predator could fly. With a strong steady wind behind her the Predator could outrun even cruiser class ships. Though the ship was capable of taking on some cargo and transport passengers, it was not designed nor crewed to fend off pirates, much less several pirate ships.

Not bothering to watch as Sisay shouted orders to her crew Ranko quickly dashed towards the galley. Spotting Konoka she paused as she noticed that the girls were ushering the other passengers into the galley. As the largest room below deck it was also the most defensible.

"Konoka," she shouted, catching her attention.

Stepping out of the line she waited for the redhead to reach her.

"Take this," Ranko instructed as she handed the smaller girl another feather, "it'll keep you hidden from the pirates."

Konoka nodded. As the lone healer she would be in the captain's cabin where Misora would bring any injured crewmen for healing while Takane and Kaede guarded the door. Looking squarely into the girl's eyes Ranko nodded before dashing back out onto the deck.

"Ranko!" Setsuna shouted as the redhead appeared on the deck. Rushing over to her the swordswoman looked up at the taller redhead.

"Captain Sisay wants us to take care of any fliers," Ranko stated. Looking down at Setsuna, the redhead was glad that Konoka had convinced the hanyo to rveal her wings to the others. While the wings also helped focus other people's attention away from her face, it also allowed the two of them to practice their flying. "I'll go on offense, you handle the defense. If things get too crazy just signal me. If I need help I'll let you know."

"Two cruisers to the port!" the lookout shouted down to the crew. "One kilometer and closing."

"Hard to Starboard!" Sisay commanded as she hoped to outmaneuver the pirates.

Slowly the_ Predator_ turned away from the pursuing pirate airships. Grabbing hold of the railing Ranko felt Setsuna push up against her as gravity forced them together. After a few moments the deck leveled out again as the helmsman steadied the ship's course.

"Three corvettes on the bow!" the lookout shouted in response.

_They hid in the sea_, Ranko realized as she released Setsuna. Seeing the long, slender forms of the small airships Ranko knew that they had been outmaneuvered. Even if they had managed to outrun the cruisers the_ Predator_ was stuck in the pirates' trap. Having two uncloaked ships drawing their attention, chasing them towards the ships waiting in ambush and boxing them in.

Watching as the three small snake-like corvettes before them quickly rose into the air and boxed them in Ranko pulled out her pactio. "Adeat!" Pulling out the Grand Master's Scroll she ran her hand over the Nephalim flying techniques. _I really need to master these techniques myself_, she thought as she felt the surge of information filling her mind. Opening her eyes she jumped over the railing.

Despite Ranko's questionable skill with flying Setsuna knew that the redhead would need help, especially considering how outnumbered she was. Closing her eyes, forcing out her wings. Hearing the crewmen's gasps Setsuna opened her eyes. _Damn, I really should have let Konoka buy me a shirt like Ranma's._ Checking her bindings the swordswoman was glad that at least she'd been able to maintain her modesty despite her shreded shirt. Leaping over the railing she chased after Ranma.

Hearing the booming magical cannon Ranko nimbly avoided the magical discharge of energy. Watching as the shots fizzled against the_ Predator_'s magical barrier Ranko knew that the ship's mage would not be able to maintain the barriers against so many ships. Unleashing a vacuum blade at the closest magic cannon Ranko avoided the harpoons and other projectiles that the pirate ship shot at the_ Predator_.

Closing in with the closest pirate ship Ranko unleashed another barrage of vacuum blades at the ship. Seeing that his ki attack was working well against the magically enforced plating Ranko reached into stuff space. Pulling out several feathers from stuff-space she charged them with ki. Flying along the length of the airship Ranko jammed a feather into the cannons.

Spiritual and magical energies combined, resulting in the cannons exploding as the pirates charged the cannons for another volley. Hearing the groan of strained metal Ranko knew that the airship was going down. No longer concerned with that ship the cursed boy turned girl chased after the other ships.

"Ranko!" Setsuna shouted as she cut a rope ladder attatched to a pair of harpoons.

Seeing a number of such ladders with pirates climbing up them Ranko watched as Setsuna moved to cut another one.

"Take care of the harpoons," he ordered as he flew by her. "I'll take care of the ships for now."

Ducking and dodging Ranma continued to evade the pirates' fire as she closed with the ship. Running out of feathers the redhead focused as she attempted to employ different technique. Weaving through the multiple cannon barrels she peppered them with feathers that she shot out from her wings. Using that technique she shot down the second ship in half the time it had taken to do the first one. Turning towards the third ship Ranko tried to find an updraft close enough to carry her up to the ship.

Though the pirate ship had ceased firing it was now unleashing wave after wave of airborne pirates. Though they lacked real wings the gliders that they had attached to their backs allowed them to float down to the now harpooned_ Predator_, unleashing aerial attacks before finally landing on the now crowded deck of the_ Predator_.

Seeing Setsuna dueling with several gliders Ranko charged into the fray. Using his speed and wings to his advantage Ranko zipped through the multitude of gliders. Lashing out with kicks and punches he forced over a dozen fighters to descend much faster then they had planned. Scrambling to adjust their course nearly half of them failed to reach the _Predator_, settling instead for a more controlled landing in the sea far below.

With the two pursuing cruisers now in range to continue the fight the last of the ambushing corvettes quickly changed coarse. Diving, it was clear that the pirates were intent on picking up their comrades from the two corvetts Ranma had shot down.

"Brooms!" Setsuna shouted as she cut the wing off of a glider.

Turning around Ranko spotted the over two dozen broom riders launching from the two pursuing cruisers. The faster of the two fliers, Ranko charged ahead. Swerving as she dodged the magical projectiles of the broom riders the cursed boy turned winged girl tackled the foremost of the riders, knocking the rider off the broom.

Flying through the throng of broom riders Ranko turned around. Seeing that five of the riders had broken off to engage him as the rest moved to swarm the _Predator_'s remaining defenders. Using her maneuverability to her advantage Ranko baffled her opponents. Faster and more maneuverable then the brooms Ranko was glad that she'd spent so much time flying recently. Though she had the basics of the Nephalim techniques down, she had not mastered them outside of using the Grand Master's Scroll.

Ranma watched as the majority of the pirates broke off to engage the Predator and leaving only a handful of fliers to distract the two fliers. Throwing several vacuum blades at her opponents she forced a few fliers to scatter and managing to hit one of the pirates. Still is seemed to barely stem the tide of the battle. Even with two cruisers shot down the fight and most of the fighters from a third down the _Predator_ was easily out numbered.

Spotting another ship dropping down out of the clouds Ranko watched as several more broom riding fighters deployed.

"This is the _Adarkar_, and we are the Valkryie Brigade of the Ariadne Mage Knights," a booming voice announced. "All pirates - lay down your arms or we will be forced to take lethal action against you!"

"You do realize that the _Adarkar_ is only a light cruiser," the usually silent Beatrix stated as she assessed the situation. "Even if those ships aren't fully manned, they are heavy cruisers, and there are three of them."

"I know that," the long, blonde haired beast girl replied. Signaling the other girls in her squad the beast girl led the Valkryie Brigade into combat against the unidentified pirate force.

"This really isn't our jurisdiction," the dark skinned girl added. "And the only fliers aboard the _Adarkar_ are academy students."

"I know," Emily replied, "but we have to help them."

"Besides," the dark skinned Pardic girl interjected, "we just happened to pass by on our way to Ostia. Imagine how bad it would look if we, the Aridaniesis contingent and honor guard for the Ostia Anniversary Festival, didn't offer assistance of any sort."

Emily nodded grimly. Though it was their duty, the six girls were outnumbered nearly four to one; counting the two winged girls they were outnumbered three to one, not very favorable odds considering that they all appeared to be much younger then the supposedly seasoned and experienced pirates.

"Yue, Collet; assist the redhead," Emily ordered. "The rest of us will assist the crew of the whaler."

"I don't think the redhead needs help," Yue stated as she watched the winged girl dispatch two of the fliers she faced.

Though they were still outnumbered Ranko hoped that the presence of the additional fliers would be enough to change the course of the battle. After analyzing their attack patterns and luring them in with a feint she finished off the rest of her opponents Ranko climbed higher into the air. Employing Arcades' hunting trick she swooped down on the unsuspecting broom riders just as the six armored girls reached firing range. Riding an air current Ranko pulled a feather off the tip of each wing. Channeling ki into the feathers she created a pair of short ki knives as she gripped the feathers. Spotting a pair of pirates she dove, cutting their brooms as she passed and sending them spiraling down towards the sea.

Catching an updraft, she rode it up, dodging several attacks as she ascended once again. Ranma watched as the Valkryies fired into the crowd of pirates swarming the _Predator_. While several shots missed their mark the armored girls were able to hit a few pirates, encasing them in spheres of magical light. Forcing the pirates to break off their flights with their hits and near misses, the Valkryies drew the pirates' attention away from the _Predator_ and her defenders. Taking advantage of the distraction the redhead weaved through and around the broom riding pirates, quickly disposing of a handful, sending them on a one way trip to the sea below.

Seeing that the tide of battle had turned Ranko held back as she watched the pirates slowly disengaged from the fray. Breaking away from their fights on the deck of the _Predator_ several pirates jumped overboard in hopes that their companions would rescue them from the waters. Others surrendered outright, not wanting to risk the drop with their damaged equipment. The fliers began to peel away, moving to pick up their companions or retreating outright, while the cruisers dove below the _Adarkar_'s effective firing range.

Not bothering with the retreating pirates Ranko flew by them, allowing them to escape or be caught or whatever their fates would be.

*****

A/N

I tried to look up capital ship classifications on wiki but they only list them in reference to Star Wars. So I went with cruisers, a fast and nimble ship, but not the fastest or most powerful; and corvettes which are much faster and have some good weapons, but not a lot. Unfortunately I should have checked with my betas before hand as they pointed me in the right direction after I wrote the chapter. Still, I think it worked out.

Anyways, as I've been saying a lot lately in my notes, don't expect me to update as frequently as I have in the past. I've volunteered to help beta for someone else's fic. I'm not saying which fic as that is up to the Author to disclose.

Yes, I've once again borrow names and such from Magic the Gathering. Leonin and Pardic are two types of cat creatures. Leonin basically lion-like and the Pardic are the ones without manes. If you look up those words in Magic the Leonin are actually one type of cat like creatures and Pardic is a type of fiery cat creature, not a race. But since I've used the only other cat race as a name already I went with another name from Magic.

Ranma out flying Setsuna is due to his artifact. He still can fly, maybe even a bit better then Setsuna given his natural ability to adapt, adjust and learn quickly, and Setsuna's reluctance to use her wings. But he's no master, yet.

Oh, and I've opened up a poll question on my profile. I'll keep it up for the rest of the month or for the next two chapters, which ever comes first.

Later - Dreamingfox


	19. Chapter 19

Author's Notes –

Yes, another chapter.

As always – Much thanks to my betas and my newest beta of course – Kamen Rider Den-O. As always, they help to keep me straight and from venturing too far off as I normally would given my crazy tangents.

Oh, and for those of you who are concerned that this is going to be a Ranma-chan fic, no, I plan to have Ranma balance out his/her time in both male and female forms. I realize that Ranko has a lot of page time lately, and that she's really getting powerful (wings, Nephalim powers, etc.) but Ranma will be balancing that out too. Yes, gender specific powers… You'll see…

Ranma, in this fic, is now taller then Kaede (I failed to realize just how tall Kaede was). Yes, he's going to have to deal with that growth spurt that he had…

I of course do not own Ranma ½ or Negima, if I did I wouldn't have to worry about the recession.

Thanks to all the loyal readers and reviewers.

*****

Staring out one of the many port windows of the_ Adarkar_, Yue watched as the two winged girls dueled. Flying around the_ Predator_ and_ Adarkar_ it was clear that the smaller of the two girls was hard pressed to keep up with the larger and faster redhead. Not only was the girl known as Ranko faster, she also appeared to be much more maneuverable then the sword welding Setsuna.

"No wonder she took out over a third of the pirates herself," Collet remarked from the next open window.

"Can you believe she took out two corvettes by herself?" Von Katz exclaimed a she watched on from another window.

"We should ask the Class Rep if we can spar with her," Du Chat added. Seeing the other girls' curious looks the dark haired beast girl shrugged. "It'd be great practical experience. I mean, all we've done to get into the Valkryie Brigade was winning the race; your teams at least fought a dragon."

"That's a good idea," Collet chimed. "We're still a day away from port, and if her group is heading to Ostia they could come with us. We'd actually be getting them to Ostia faster then if they were to just take the roads or even find another airship to take them the rest of the way."

Feeling the other girls' eyes on her Yue glanced at them.

"You know that the Class Rep would listen to you," the perky beast girl added.

Looking at her wing-woman's best puppy dog impression Yue sighed. "Fine, I'll ask Emily."

*****

Ranko was bored. After only a day of sparring with all the girls, individually and in groups, she had already figured out their weaknesses and strengths, beaten them at their strengths and exploited their weaknesses repeatedly.

Kaede was a great at employing distraction and using the environment in their fights, but lacked the hand speed keep up with her, much less to land a solid hit in close combat (probably because her huge breasts got in the way of her arms whenever she threw a straight punch). The ninja girl could handle throws and grapples, and even escaped from the few submissions Ranko had apparently locked in. Though not even close to being in Ranko's league, Kaede was probably the most well rounded fighter of the group.

Asuna was powerful and straightforward (like Ryoga) but lacked the endurance and speed to go toe-to-toe with him in hand to hand fighting. Things weren't better when she had her sword (or harisen) in hand as she broadcasted her attacks with her shoulders and hips, leaving her open to the inevitable counter attacks. Still, the girl had some good speed and endurance, and she could out last Kaede and Setsuna in a fight, when they didn't end it quickly. If only she would use her strong (sexy) legs (and her cute ass). Hotheaded but with a lot of power behind her strikes, it was as though she were Akane and Ryoga's love child… Wait, that didn't sound good…

(Beating his skull with a pot, Ranma hoped that Severus, the ships resident alchemist and cook, would not notice the large dents. Maybe he wouldn't notice a missing pot instead.)

Misora was fast but couldn't maneuver herself well or use the environment to her advantage (then again, the deck of the_ Predator_ was not the ideal place for her to spar), often tripping on the rigging or slipping on the wet deck. If only her hands were as fast as her feet, she'd easily keep up and perhaps press Ranko in hand to hand fighting. Despite her strong legs, the runner couldn't kick. While she knew the basics of fighting the runner had not put any effort into using her speed for anything other then running and using her speed and inertia against her opponents.

Takane, like Asuna, was very direct and straightforward, and her casting time left her more open then Asuna. And her temperament was exactly like Akane's, especially when her clothes were shredded during the fight (which Ranma had yet to find a logical reason for). The girl did have a mean punch, especially after losing her clothes, but aside from the emotionally charged attack she had little left after being stripped (though she looked very good naked).

And then there was Setsuna (because Kokone and Konoka who definitely weren't fighters) who was the most skilled but also the most hampered by her style. Though the sword wielding hanyo was quick, she tended to exaggerate her strikes as she followed through with the proper style or technique that she used. Plus there was the fact that she was stuck in the routines of her style, following one move with another set move, never using anything different then what she'd been taught. Having recognized the basics of her style Ranma knew just when and where to take advantage of the slight windows in her defense that she left. To an inexperienced eye Setsuna's technique was flawless, but to a veteran fighter like Ranma, Setsuna left several openings. A twist of the hip here, leading with her shoulder there, leaning on her lead foot here, and her fight was over.

Even in the air the girl tended to telegraph her moves, using her wings to help turn her body, adding power to her strikes. Sure, using her whole body would add power to her strikes, but against a faster opponent it was like giving her enemies her whole strategy and attack plan. Not to mention that the smaller girl had yet to adapt her skills on the ground to the air. Having forced the girl to crash into the mast of the_ Predator_, get tangled in the nets, and even crash into the_ Adarkar_, Ranko lost hope that Setsuna would at least pick up the basics of aerial fighting and thinking outside the box of her school. (Granted, Ranko had not only crashed into the _Predator_, but she had put a hole in the side of the airship the first time she had flown without using the Grand Master's Scroll.)

Setsuna also had the distinct problem with having to deal with her changing body. Having rarely flown infrequently back in Mahora, she was now developing different muscles in her chest, shoulders, back, and stomach as she used her wings more. That and the fact that she was starting to fill out as a young woman resulted in Setsuna's center of gravity and balance being just a bit off. For someone as skilled and trained as Setsuna her movements were still graceful, but to an experienced eye like Ranma's (who was now used to shifting and changing bodies) it was painfully obvious.

Thinking back to the gateport fight with Fate and his followers it was clear to Ranma that the girls of the Ala Alba were up against skilled and experienced fighters. That sword welding girl in white was good, not in Ranma's class, but she was close. She was clearly from the same school as Setsuna, but her moves were much more vicious. While not technically as good as Setsuna, the girl was much quicker because she wasn't stuck in routine and excessive movement.

What the girls needed was good hand speed. While they probably would never match the power Ranma had in her female form (much less her male body) they could do some decent damage with their weapons, once they finished their speed training.

Looking at the assorted bowls and pots filled with salt water and the fastest and most vicious fish that she could find, Ranko grinned. This would definitely cure her case of boredom.

"What's this?" Asuna asked as she and the other Mahora fighters approached the pots.

"Training," Ranko grinned devilishly, "speed training."

"Are those Wormfang Dandans?" Kokone asked as she eyed the toothy fish.

Looking over at Sisay, Ranko caught the captain's concerned nod. "Yep."

"And what are we supposed to do with those wormfang thingies?" Asuna asked as she looked down at the pot of arm long fish.

"This," the heir to the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts replied as she walked over to a pot. Striking the surface of the pot Ranko quickly emptied it of all the fish, catching each one behind their head before the little devilish fish could bite her and throwing them into an adjacent pot before the fish could wrap themselves around his wrist. In a flash she had emptied the pot and filled the other then refilled the first pot with a second pot full of fish.

Jaws dropped at the display of speed and precision. Not only had the redhead handled several dozen of the deadly fish, but she'd done it without injuring herself.

Seeing Takane slip on a pair of dragon hide gloves Ranko deftly grabbed the girl's wrists. "No gloves, magic, or weapons of any kind," she stated. "They'll just slow you down. It's pure speed. You can use magic, ki, or whatever to make you faster, but don't let me catch you channeling ki or casting a spell."

"That's impossible," the shadow mage cried out as she eyed the now agitated fish.

"I'll even make it easy on you," Ranma added. "The Valkryies agreed to cast some spell on the water so that you don't have to bend over the pots."

Grabbing the pots she'd just used Ranma turned them on their sides. The _Predator_'s crewmen scrambled as they expected the deadly fish to swarm the deck as Ranko tipped the pots over. Seeing that a light glow prevented the water from spilling out and kept the fanged fish from escaping and wrecking havoc on the deck the crewmen relaxed. Still, each one of them made a mental note to avoid coming close to the girls incase they couldn't handle the vicious fish.

Walking over to the tipped over pot Yue tapped it with her wand, levitating it so that it was at chest height for the redhead. In exchange for their assistance in helping to train Ranko's companions the redhead had agreed to spar with the Valkryies.

"Don't worry," Ranko smiled, "they're only hatchlings so they won't kill you if they do bite you. They will disrupt your magic though." Looking at the blank looks on the girls faces Ranma smiled evilly. "Oh, and you'll give Konoka a great chance to see of her healing salve works."

*****

Wiping the sweat off her brow with the sleeve of her gi, Akira hoped that her personal lessons with Ku Fei and Chachamaru would be able to assist the group.

"Is good," the Chinese martial artist stated.

"It's best that you stretch," the gynoid added.

"That's all we've been doing this morning," the swimmer remarked. At this rate she'd be of no use to anyone.

"No," Ku Fei replied, "after break I show you Shou-yu Liang Wushu - is great for using staffs."

"We needed to make sure that you were flexible enough to handle the style," Chachamaru explained. "Despite your athletic nature, you are untrained in basic martial arts. Thus we needed to see what your range of motion is so that we can best instruct you on a style that would suit your needs."

Akira grunted, acknowledging her lack of skill. While she had dedicated herself to swimming, it was clear that being athletic would not benefit the group at all. No, she would no longer be a liability; not to Ranma, and not to the group. Though she knew that it would be along time before she would be as skilled as either Ku Fei or Chachamaru, Akira knew that eventually she would be able to hold her own and support Ranma. Even without her pactio active she needed to practice and develop basic skills. For now she would focus honing her physical skills.

*****

Soaring through the skies Ranko tried her best to avoid crashing into the Valkryies or the two airships. With the erratic winds and the fact that Ranma had chosen to not use the Grand Master's Scroll Ranko found that it was easier said then done. Weaving through and around the armored girls, the boy turned winged girl easily dodged the various magical bullets that the girls shot at her (though some were due more to the strong gusts then her ability to evade their attacks).

Seeing Emily, the lead Valkryie, signaling an end to the day's exercise, Ranko waved back before gliding down to the _Predator_. Gently landing on the deck (as gentle as she could manage considering the rough gusts) Ranko eyed the Mahora girls. Seeing the dark red stains on the deck and specks of blood on Konoka's outfit, the heir to the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts sighed. While she had not expected the girls to master the speedy technique, she had not expected them to do so poorly either.

"How many fish are left?" she asked.

Exchanging glances the girls shot her dark glares.

"We're the ones who needed healing!" Asuna shouted as she pointed to her bloody shirt. "Wormfang dandans apparently have a poison that is resistant to magical healing. "

Glancing over the feisty girl Ranko couldn't help but notice that Asuna was wearing only her sports bra. Though he wasn't looking at her he couldn't help but notice that her sports bra had been soaked through with some combination of water, sweat, and blood; clinging to her perky breasts.

_Soul of Ice_, Ranko though as she averted her eyes from the sight of the younger girl's perky assets and sought to control her hormones. _I'm a girl right now; she's a girl, a cute girl…. No, I can't think perverted thoughts._

"I'll try to find less vicious fish tomorrow," Ranko stated as she shrugged. "This is how I learned it; unless of course you'd prefer to pull hot nuts from a fire."

Seeing the dark, venomous glares the girls shot her, Ranko wondered about her use of words.

*****

Landing on the deck of the_ Predator_ Emily and Beatrix watched as the handful of girls attacked the wormfang dandans. Of course the fish were very dead and seasoned to perfection, but they at least were attacking the remains in muted revenge. Having briefly seen what Ranko had instructed the other girls to do, the two Valkryies weren't completely surprised at how vicious the girls were now that they had a chance to avenge themselves for the multitude of injuries they had received from their training.

"That's not how it's done," Ranko shouted at the carrot-top. "Here, watch and learn."

Taking off her helmet Emily watched as Ranko swiftly and deliberately filleted the dandans, easily cutting around the spikes and bones. Spreading the boneless filet out flat the redhead deftly sliced it into several precise cuts before handing them to one of the smaller girls.

"How'd you do that?" Emily asked as she eyed the tall redhead.

"Skill and speed," Ranko smirked. Behind her the other girls shot poisonous daggers at the redhead. "Start with the basic motion, then do it faster."

Watching as Kaede stabbed one of the still struggling wormfang dandans with her kunai, Ranko shook her head. "I know kunai are supposed to be multi-purpose weapons, but I don't think they're the best… tool for filleting fish."

"Probably not, degozaru," the ninja girl admitted, "but it is good for pinning it down so it doesn't take a bite out of anyone else."

*****

Looking down at the drawing she'd inked offhandedly, Haruna couldn't help but sigh. Watching as chibi versions of Asuna, Akira, Setsuna, Konoka, Kazumi, Kaede, and herself chased after Ranma the manga-ka couldn't help but think that her crush was slowly moving out of her reach. But the kiss… well, the kiss was… something she couldn't put into words. Even her best attempts at drawing the scene paled in comparison to the reality of that moment. She really did enjoy spending time with the cursed boy, and he was cute, and things were never dull with him around. Maybe, just maybe, it was the chaos and entertainment value that he provided that really attracted her to the cursed boy. Still, there was that kiss… If what she had with Ranma wasn't love, then Haruna just couldn't imagine what kissing someone that she actually loved (and not just crushed on) would be like. Considering her wild and vivid imagination, that was saying a lot.

Arching her back Haruna stretched her tired muscles. Stifling a yawn the manga-ka leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes as she sought to blink out the blurry images in her tired eyes. Blinking back the weariness of the long day Haruna smiled at her drawing, watching as the black and white winged Ranma flew away from the girls that chased him, clutching her in his arms.

Feeling the rustling wind as Ranma flew higher and higher, Haruna sighed, wrapping her arms around his neck. Nuzzling against the winged boy she smiled, savoring the feeling of being in his arms.

"Thanks for getting me out of that chaos," Haruna whispered.

"Hey, not a problem," Ranma replied, landing on a soft cloud.

Setting her bare feet against the solid cloud the manga-ka gently stood up, leaning against Ranma as she steadied herself. Feeling strong hands on her shoulders she gazed into his azure eyes. Pulling herself closer she closed her eyes, gently pressing her lips against his.

*****

Sitting up, Ranma quickly wiped the sweat from his face. Breathing heavily the cursed boy rolled out of bed. _Damn, she's so aggressive; she's the only one who tries to kiss me_. Stretching the martial artist cracked his back, neck, and shoulders. Now I'm not tired anymore.

Throwing on his black tank top and dark blue pants Ranma listened, making sure that the girls were still asleep. Walking over to his mirror Ranma examined his reflection. Closing his eyes Ranma focused, changing his black hair to red, and making his eyes red rather then blue. While still not a complete change (as he retained his male parts) Ranma knew that with the enchanted feather others would simply assume he was Ranko (with her assorted female parts).

Finding the deck empty save for a scarecrow overnight crew Ranma threw together a make-shift Muk Yan Jon. Despite his speed and precision striking Ranma knew that he was still unbalanced from his recent growth spurt. Hitting the dummy Ranma forced himself to not use any ki as he got accustomed to his longer limbs (and didn't want to put another hole in the ship).

Watching the cursed boy Kaede noted the slight change in Ranma's moves. Though he was still able to strike with speed and precision the cursed boy's inside blocks and strikes were lagging. With his larger body Ranma now had more to defend, even with his longer reach and great speed the pigtailed boy needed to get accustomed to his larger frame and new center of gravity.

"Looks like you're working up a real sweat there, degozaru."

Not bothering to stop or even look up at the ninja girl Ranma continued his kata.

"It looks like you've slowed down, degozaru," Kaede stated. "But I know better – you're using only pure muscle strength, no ki, no mana, no chakra, nothing – and yet you're still faster then any of us even with your new body."

Ranma shrugged. It wasn't as though the ninja had told him anything he didn't know or that anyone worthwhile had been listening.

"All the sparring you do with Kotaro over breakfast,"

"- everything I've done is training of some sort," Ranma finished. "I don't use ki or mana for everything."

Thinking back to their first encounter Kaede blinked as realization set in, "So back when you first fought me and Mana-"

"I only used as much ki as necessary," he finished again. "Not all techniques require ki, mana, or chakra. But they can be enhanced by it. I don't need ki to maintain my balance, so why should I use it when I'm rail walking?"

Nodding Kaede accepted the older boy's logic though she didn't understand it herself.

"Train yourself to do the techniques with ki or mana as needed, but the less you depend on other energy sources the more you have for when you really need it," Ranma rationalized.

"Being a great martial artist isn't about having great ki reserves," the pigtailed boy stated. "It's not about who's style or school or technique is better either – it's about learning, adapting, and being able to exploit your opponent's weaknesses so that you're the last one standing at the end of the fight."

Jumping down to the deck from the helm Kaede landed gracefully beside him. Looking at him Kaede couldn't help but note that she no longer looked down at him. While she had previous noted his growth, it wasn't until she actually stood beside him that she'd realized that he was taller then she was. It was one thing to see him in her dreams, but another thing altogether to see him in the real world while she was awake.

"Since you're not up to anything, why not try some more speed training," Ranma suggested.

Pulled out of her tangent thoughts, Kaede glanced at the now empty pots that housed the vicious wormfang dandans.

"Don't worry, I'll show you another method of training."

Eyeing the cursed boy Kaede couldn't help but wonder what other method of training Ranma had in store for her. If there was an easier way, why hadn't he shown all of them that alternative method? "You're not doing the fire training, are you?"

Blinking, Ranma glanced around. "Sorry, no fire and no chestnuts." Standing so that he faced the ninja, Ranma estimated her reach compared to his. Reaching into stuff space he pulled out a pendant and necklace. Putting it on he tried to recall his brief… encounters with Cologne over the Phoenix Pill. "All you have to do is take this pendant away from me."

Raising her brow the ninja girl quickly struck, reaching out for the pendant as Ranma closed his stuff space pocket. Feeling something strike her hand, Kaede struck with her other hand. After several minutes and several hundred attempts Kaede began to notice the wet feeling on her hands and forearms.

Ranma tried his hardest to focus on Kaede's hands and not on her jiggling breasts, which happened to be interfering with her arms as she tried to steal the pendant from him.

"You're done already?" Ranma asked as the ninja paused, looking at her hands. Grateful that he was no longer being distracted by her jiggling assets, the cursed boy took a deep, calming breath. Seeing her inquisitive look after examining her hands the cursed boy shrugged. "You're just lucky I don't have any insulting stamps. Besides, your hands look cute with all those Hello Kitty stamps."

Pocketing the self inking stamp, Ranma slipped behind Kaede. "Your problem is that you're leading with your shoulders." Putting his hands on her shoulders to brace her, "Keep your shoulders square," he instructed.

Kaede wasn't sure if Ranma standing behind her was a good thing or bad thing. Sure, she liked having him so close to her, holding her shoulders as he instructed her on how to throw a quicker punch. But his close proximity was also making the normally stoic girl blush. While slightly uncomfortable (ninja's just don't blush) she was glad that Ranma wasn't standing in front of her to notice her blushing. Having him stand behind her was definitely a good thing.

*****

Gliding through the thick clouds Setsuna forced herself not to smile. _ Ranma's right, flying is fun_, the hanyo thought as she chased after the redhead.

Having rarely exposed her wings in the real world the swordswoman was relishing her chance to fly in the magical world. Due to the magical nature of the people and cultures, plus the fact that there actually were winged people here (though they were fewer in number) Konoka and Ranma had convinced her to take up flying. In truth it was probably because Ranko needed to learn how to take off and land without killing herself or anyone else in the process.

While she did not look forward to a return to flying in the stale air of Eva's bottled castle, she knew that once they returned to Mahora the resort was probably the only place for her to reveal her true nature. Feeling the wind in her hair as she glided, or the sudden change of air pressure and the changing winds went beyond anything that she had experienced while flying during their training sessions with Eva.

Spotting Ranko as she darted between the Valkryies, Setsuna smiled despite herself. _ Maybe I'll visit Nerima, they're used to seeing odd things like a flying Asura, a winged bull/yeti/octopi, ki manifestations and other weird things; it's not like they haven't seen winged girls before_.

"Oy!" Ranko shouted as she flew over to join her. "We've reached port."

Spotting the outline of the small independent village Setsuna nodded. Following Ranko's lead the pair of winged girls glided down to the_ Predator_. Though the pair could fly into port, it was easier for them to remain on the ship until they docked as they didn't want any more attention drawn to them then necessary.

"Just in time," Sisay grinned as the ship's captain flagged down the flying duo. "Severus needs to clean the pots and the girls don't feel like catching any more fish."

Nodding Ranko pulled in her wings. Grabbing her cape the tall redhead grabbed several knives out of stuff space as she walked over to the other Mahora girls. "I'll grab them, you prep them," she stated as she laid out assorted knives.

"You're not entering the Urborg challenge, are you?" Sisay asked as she watched Ranko extract the deadly fish out of the pots of water.

"What's that?" the redhead asked.

"It's the world famous eating competition," the diminutive Kokone explained. "The winner gets fifty thousand drachma."

"Wow, that's a big prize," Mei exclaimed as she watched Takane use her shadow knife to fillet a fish. "What do they have to eat?"

"Wormfang dandans," Sisay replied. "Specifically wormfang dandan sushi. I figured that since you've been practicing with them and eating so many of them you were training for the contest."

"That's nothing," Ranko replied as she threw a dozen of the fish onto the table, letting the deadly fish's spiky spine pierce the wooden board, immobilizing it.

Sisay eyed the cocky redhead. "You do know that the wormfang dandan is one of the most dangerous fish in the world, right?"

Ranko felt a chill running down her spine as the Asuna, Setsuna, Kaede, and Takane glared at her. "They're only hatchlings; they aren't so bad, were they?" she countered as she tossed another dozen onto the other table.

"Heh," the captain smirked, "they release a neural toxin that can't be countered by magic. In fact, the more magic you use, or the more powerful a mage you are, the deadlier the toxin. If Severus hadn't helped Konoka create a salve just to treat their bite I'm sure the girls would be trying to skin you alive.

"All wormfangs produce the toxin, mostly for defensive measures, but only the dandan uses it offensively. Even leviathans can die if they eat too many schools of wormfangs. But fully grown wormfang dandans hunt baby leviathans."

"You're handling hatchlings," Kokone explained to the other girls, "These won't reach adulthood until they're three meters; that usually takes two years. Adults are more toxic."

"Since you precisely cleaned and filleted them last night, Severus had no problem cooking them. Those were hatchlings and they put the most of the crew out for the night," Sisay explained. "But in adult wormfangs the toxin is in their very flesh, not just in their spines and teeth. You eat raw wormfang dandans from an adult, even a small piece, and you're mouth is going to go numb. Eat enough and your body goes numb. Magi won't be able to use their magic for weeks after eating even a few pieces of wormfang sushi. Even prize fighters won't eat wormfangs since it'll throw of their magic."

Ranko blinked as she considered what the information. While it wasn't as though she were being called out with a challenge, she couldn't resist a challenge, even though she hadn't been called out specifically. And since she used ki based abilities rather then mana /magical skills, it wouldn't hurt her chances in the arena.

Seeing the look in Ranko's eyes Setsuna knew that the cursed boy turned girl was very intrigued by the contest, possibly even opting to enter it.

"No one's ever won the contest since you have to eat an entire adult wormfang dandan. That's over two hundred pieces of sushi. The closest any one has come to finishing the challenge is forty two pieces," Sisay stated, "and he died five minutes later."

The girls (excluding Ranko) gasped at the news.

"He was leaving the tabled and tripped," the captain explained. "Poor guy lost all muscle control and landed on his knife. Healing magic wouldn't work on him so he bled to death."

"There's also the Cloud Chaser Waffles," Kokone interjected. She really didn't like the weird look on Ranko's face as the redhead considered the Urborg Challenge.

"Cloud Chaser Waffles?"

"Yeah, they float," Mei explained, missing the slight flash of terror on Ranko's face. "Who can't eat them sitting down."

"But they're so delicious," Sisay stated.

Ranko blinked, _floating waffles?_

"It's messy," the dark skinned captain replied. "They make all the contestants eat the waffles in the arena. And they create a typhoon for you to eat them in. Then there's the syrup, which makes it completely messy. You're going to have syrup in places you don't want it."

Seeing that her remark had gone over everyone's head Sisay shook her head. "Normally I wouldn't recommend entering the Urborg challenge - unless of course you don't use magic. Eat enough wormfang and it'll be as though you're wearing arenak armor - something you're not allowed to do in the arena. But judging from your feathers, I don't think you'll have an issue with the wormfangs."

Eying the captain Ranko wondered just how much she knew.

"If you do try the Cloud Chaser Challenge, don't use your wings; very messy," Sisay added.

Nodding her head, Ranko knew that she should avoid that challenge. At least not with wings. It was hard enough for her to wash her hair, but syrup was just … wrong. Though if it was sweet enough she could probably get the girls to help clean her…

_No… must not think of the girls covered in syrup… or of them licking syrup off of me… no taking a bath with naked girls… Must control hormones and pheromones_.

*****

A/N

Yes, more sea kitten goodness….

Yes, I'm trying to put more effort into differentiating and using the correct gender terms and pronouns.

But seriously, over one hundred hits on my profile and only 24 votes on the poll?

Please Read and Review. And Vote!!!


	20. Chapter 20

Author's notes –

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed. Thanks of course to my faithful and dutiful beta readers – KitsuneOverlord, Teturo, Lance, and Kamen Rider Den-O.

While it's not unlikely for a teenaged boy to maintain his virginity and 'purity' during his teenage years, it's very unlikely that he not think about girls (or boys if he were to swing that way). While Ranma in the manga and anime is the very model of restraint, it probably has a lot to do with who he's around.

Shampoo is cute, very cute, but also scary. Not to mention that getting involved with her brings out the Amazons which would make things very bad, even for highly skilled martial artists like Ranma.

Akane's cute when she's not a psycho who's more likely to kill him then kiss him. Seriously, she has some major issues with intimacy if she considers all boys as perverts. True, she doesn't have the most supportive guys around her at school, or with Happosai, but she has shown no emotional or psychological growth in the series that suggests she could handle even kissing Ranma (the Romeo and Juliet play aside).

Ukyo's okay, but she has her own gender identity issues, and she is prone to smacking Ranma around with a giant spatula just as quickly as Akane is with her mallet of doom. She'd definitely the most supportive of Ranma, but I doubt she'd have a chance to kiss Ranma without the rest of the Wrecking Crew destroying, well, everything.

And then there's Kodachi…. Do you really want me to get started with her? Crazy, obsessive, isn't afraid to poison her boyfriend/object of obsession, loves to use sneak attacks, and never fights fair.

Throw in the fact that showing any affection for any of those girls implies to those around him that he's chosen to marry that particular girl and it's no wonder that Ranma doesn't have any libido. Ignoring the drawing styles of the authors, Shampoo is supposed to be the prettiest of the fiancés with Ukyo as the cute one and Akane as the uncute one despite being the most desired girl in the school. While not all of the Mahora girls are 'mature' or 'developed' those that are have filled out fairly well. They are also acknowledged as being very attractive in general. Yes, the Mahora girls are drawn to be very appealing and attractive. Akane may be the big fish of her little pond, but when compared to the Mahora girls, Akane's simply another fish in the pond.

Personally, I think Akane wouldn't have half of the school chasing after her if not for Kuno's declaration. I think that some of the guys that were involved in fighting her at the beginning of the anime/manga series knew they couldn't beat her, but were part of the fight because of the thrill they got out of being involved in the big fight/chase. That or they're just completely hopeless and couldn't get a date so they hoped that they might be able to use their physical prowess to land a date despite their apparent lack of appeal.

Seriously, if Ranma was around the Mahora girls (given his close proximity to them for the past few weeks in the story) and is basically the only guy around, he'd have to be gay to not notice them. He's shown a lot of restraint to not give in to his libido (not to mention the fact that he's got five succubae trying to sway him ever so slightly). While we all agree that Ranma is far from normal, or average, what typical teenage boy doesn't look at the girls around him?

Anyways, don't expect Ranma to suddenly give in to his hormones. It's a gradual process people; don't expect it to happen overnight, or in the next few chapters.

Oh, and Hello Kitty isn't that bad. It's a cartoon for one, and not an accurately drawn one at that. I don't think cartoon cats (unless Haruna drew them) would freak Ranma out.

*****

Panting, the lean, athletic girl breathed in the cool morning air. Having dedicated herself to swimming Akira had always believed her senior instructors when they had told her that of all athletes, only swimmers and gymnasts used their bodies to their fullest potential. But after having endured two days of training under Ku Fei and Chachamaru she was having doubts. Even with her many daily hours in the pool the swimmer had never felt this exhausted or sore.

If not for the fact that they were going to spend most of the day traveling in the_ Macross_ (Haruna had named the air ship) Akira was sure that the Chinese martial artist and the gynoid would have insisted on spending the rest of the day training. Of course, if she had spent as many years as they had training (much less the time that Ranma had put into his training and traveling) she probably wouldn't think much of the "light morning warm up" training that they had institutionalized. To them this was merely going though the basic katas and stretching to make sure that they could perform the many movements; but to the inexperienced Akira it was as pushing her body to new extremes.

"Time to eat!" Ku Fei shouted with glee as she grabbed the swimmer's hand, dragging the taller girl back to the_ Macross_.

Slouching in her seat Akira wondered just what the manga-ka and class reporter had prepared them for breakfast.

"Breakfast is served!" Kazumi announced proudly as she set down a heaping plate of pancakes.

"Hmmm…. Pancakes!" Ako smiled as she eyed the food. "Where's the syrup?"

Haruna suddenly appeared beside the taller Kazumi, blushing as she set down a tray of assorted syrups from brightly colored fruit flavors to dark and sugary ones.

Her mood brightened, Akira poured some syrup onto her plate while the other non-Ala Alba girls fought over the pancakes. Dipping her finger into the syrup the swimmer coated her finger tip before bringing it to her lips. Licking the sweet fruity syrup she slowly slipped her finger into her salivating mouth. Gently, almost sensually, she licked her finger clean.

"Hmmm…."

Opening her eyes (having not realized when she had closed her eyes exactly), Akira found the other girls looking at her quizzically.

"That must be some seriously good syrup," Yuna said, prompting the girls to fight over the syrup.

Looking up at Haruna and Kazumi, Akira blushed, realizing that they too had dreamed a similar dream.

*****

Gazing at the Ostia countryside Ranma couldn't help but wonder at the level of destruction that had not only laid waste to the valley but had levitated several the remains of the mountains to create the floating ruins. _Somewhere in there is the key to returning home_, the cursed boy thought. Looking back at his traveling companions Ranma sighed. While it was enjoyable traveling with the girls, things had been starting to get… complicated.

After half a day of steadily trekking through the countryside with countless travelers Ranma was looking forward to spending some time alone and away from the crowds. Having broken away from the main roads to do some sight seeing, Ranma was finally able to enjoy the scenery.

"So this is where we part ways," Konoka stated as she approached the cliff's ledge. "Looks like we've spent the whole day doing that – first with the _Predator_, then with the Valkryies, and now you."

"But we'll see you in a few days, right?" Mei asked. Though she really didn't like the way the older boy had forced himself on the other girls back in the jungle, even she had to admit that he had generally showed great restraint otherwise. It was even worth having Takane training furiously as though the older girl were competing with the others for the cursed boy's rare praise and attention, considering that the shadow mage had improved greatly in the past few days. Without Ranma around Mei wasn't sure how Takane and the other girls would respond – would they slack off as they had before, or would they strive to improve secretly so that they could see who would impress the overconfident martial artist the most?

"Give me a week at least," Ranma replied. "That's when the festival starts."

Turning to face the girls Ranma looked them over (not that way you sicko). "Just remember to keep practicing, I expect you guys to be able to get a dozen chestnuts out of the fire next time I see you."

Never one to make a scene (unless he was fighting) Ranma quickly leapt over the waist high wall and the three meter magical barrier that kept suicidal idiots from ending their lives (anyone who could clear the four meter jump had to be skilled enough to at least know and accept the consequences of going over the edge and entering the dangerous ruins).

"Adeat!" Pulling out his artifact Ranma ran his hands over the Nephalim techniques of wingless flight. Feeling the chaotic winds around him the cursed boy smiled as the knowledge flooded his mind. Reaching out and catching the wind, Ranma quickly vanished into the mist and haze of the ruins.

*****

Looking down at the scroll the white haired youth considered the information. "This is interesting," Fate admitted.

"Should I initiate the other plan?" the beast girl asked.

Looking at the seeding for the tournament the mysterious youth smiled. "No," he replied, "what happens at the tournament is inconsequential. Jack Rakan's participation was not entirely unexpected, though I had thought he would be on Team Negima, I'm sure that his joining another team will not disrupt that plan. Besides, Team Negima is pitted against Team Wicked Redeemers in the first round."

The girls bowed, acknowledging their leader's plans.

"Where is the princess?"

Exchanging nervous glances the girls were not sure how to explain that they had lost the girl's trail.

"She's on her way to New Ostia," the white robed girl answered, stepping out of the shadows. Bowing politely she smiled wickedly. "My spies tell me that she and several companions are on the road from Arsland, they should be in Ostia by tomorrow evening."

"And Negi?"

"He is at his sponsor's training grounds to the west of the new city," the cat girl quickly answered.

Looking at the register for Team Negima the white haired youth eyed the unfamiliar name. "Who is this 'Ranko Tendo'?"

"It appears that the princess was able to recruit someone for the Team," the black robed girl replied. "Perhaps an Ostian refugee or exiled noble?"

"Unlikely," the white robed girl replied, "I killed the group of exiles myself."

"Find out what you can about her," Fate ordered. "Discretely."

Rolling up the scroll Fate threw it into the fire.

Seeing that they had been dismissed the assembled girls melded into the shadows, leaving to perform their master's will.

*****

Jumping through the debris field known as the Ruins of Ostia, Ranma was glad that he had chosen to remain in his male form rather then switching into his female body. With all the debris and the chaotic winds true flight in his female form would have been cumbersome. The "wingless flight" was much more effective as it allowed him to improve the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts' aerial mastery by helping him detect the small pockets of rough air or even floating debris which he used to kick off of. Like finding subtle hand or foot holds while climbing or even water walking, it allowed him just enough purchase to continue or even shift his passage as he leapt through the seemingly empty air.

Sensing several dark presences Ranma quickly diverted his path, landing on a large floating rock. Quickly switching into the Umisenken to hide his presence Ranma waited for the presences to pass by. Judging from their auras the cursed boy was confident that he could handle himself against them. But engaging them, though fun and challenging, would only prevent him from finding the ancient vampire that Eva had suggested he seek further training from.

Extending his senses the cursed boy mentally mapped the area, noting that the four auras he sensed were deceptively small despite their great power. Reading their path he knew that they had not sensed him, or if they had that they did not care to engage him just as he had chosen to do with them. Sensing them leaving his area of perception the cursed martial artist again resumed his trek, maintaining the Umisenken just incase he were to encounter other presences on his way to the vampire's lair.

Avoiding several young but fully grown dragons Ranma was glad that he had decided to employ his father's sealed technique. Reaching the large house sized floating rock Ranma felt another dark presence. Noting the presence of several decapitated dragon carcasses Ranma shuddered.

_That's the one_, Lynx sent him. _Szadeck is definitely there_.

_Why decapitate the carcasses?_ Ranma asked.

_Do you know how powerful an undead dragon could be? _Lynx replied_. Don't you remember how much more powerful you were right after I healed you? That's not even a fraction of the power you would have received if I had turned you. If I had you'd be as powerful then as you were when you faced Arcades,_ Lynx embellished. Not a very powerful vampire himself, Lynx probably would have only made Ranma as powerful as he had been when the cursed boy had faced the bounty hunters, but Ranma didn't need to know that_. If Szadeck had not prevented the dragons from coming back as vampiric dragons the ruins would quickly become another vampire nation. _

_Think about it, the light of the sun is very weak here. With the thick mist and haze vampires could easily move around during the day without fearing the sunlight. Once everything here was consumed they would have to leave the ruins to hunt, spreading the vampiric curse to other nations. No, the best way for a vampire to keep hunters from coming after them is to make sure their former prey doesn't come back to either seek revenge or to draw attention to them_.

Blinking at the simple yet clearly overlooked logic that had escaped him, the cursed pigtailed boy realized just how ignorant he had been. _So you've done the whole beheading thing before? Probably on the guys you and Nasham hunted, right?_

_Of course,_ Lynx replied_. If there's a bounty on your head, few care if you're brought in dead or alive. There are rare exceptions if the bounty has valuable knowledge, but then turning those makes it easier as the newly created vampire still retains knowledge from before their death. Just give them a liter of reptile blood and they're as weak as newly born humans_.

_Okay_, Ranma though as he stored the information. Leaping up to the large rock the cursed boy grabbed hold, clinging to the surface. _So how do we, I, get in?_

_You don't_, another voice sent, slipping into the martial artist's mind. _I have to let you in_.

Feeling the now familiar feeling of magic around him Ranma gasped as a strong, cold hand grabbed him by the neck, yanking him into the magical portal that appeared behind him.

*****

Watching her companions and (in most cases) classmates as the group trekked towards Ostia Nodoka couldn't help but notice the difference in several girls. With Ranma no longer accompanying them there was a noticeable change in the group, what exactly the mousy girl wasn't sure.

With the cursed boy around Setsuna had become more comfortable revealing her wings and even flying with Ranma. Their afternoon ritual of flying around and sparring as they practiced their aerial maneuvers, as well as finding and setting up the campsite had made the trek much easier. But without the cursed boy Setsuna had taken to simply walking beside Konoka when she wasn't on point (as she was now) or vanguard. While Nodoka had rarely associated with the swordswoman outside of the Ala Alba, even the mousy librarian had noticed how much more relaxed Setsuna appeared to be when Ranma was around.

Asuna, the normally feisty and hot-headed member of the group, had been all over the place when Ranma was around. Ranging from flirty and cute to irritable and short tempered, the carrot top's emotions seemed to change as frequently, never really matching the situation except when Ranma had the girls doing the speed training drills. She'd even gone around in just her sports bra when the cursed boy was around. Without the cursed boy around Asuna had reverted to her more predictable normal Mahora self - playful but casually formal as she interacted with the other girls.

While she had never really associated with the older Takane, even Nodoka had noted the subtle change in the blond girl's behavior. Clearly nervous whenever she was around Ranma, the girl often crossed an arm under breasts as she gripped her elbow while talking to the martial artist or even walking beside him. Then there was the fact that they'd found her cuddled up next to if not actually in his bedroll back in the jungle. In his absence the other non-Ala Alba girls had taken to teasing the older girl about where she'd sleep now that Ranma was gone, clearly hinting and insinuating that there was more to their relationship then just two strangers with similar goals. Then again, she had been the only girl to kiss Ranma back when he had gone on his lustful kissing spree.

The other two victims of said spree, Konoka and Kaede, had shown the least signs of being affected by Ranma's departure. Then again, Konoka had taken to teasing Setsuna and Asuna more now that Ranma wasn't with the group.

Considering the sudden changes in the group after just a few hours of being without the cursed boy, Nodoka seriously contemplated using her artifacts. _But I'd be invading their thoughts_, she reprimanded herself. _I can't do that to them_.

Unconsciously Nodoka found herself fingering the ring on her right index finger as she pondered the situations of the other girls. _I couldn't be as bad as Craig, Lynn, Aisha, and Christian; right?_

"Hey Nodoka," Misora shouted as the speedster appeared beside the startled girl.

"Misora-san," the mousy girl bowed as she tried to recover her tangent thoughts.

"No need to be so formal," the runner stated with a crooked smile. "Anyways, Takane and Kaede set up a ride for us with a caravan of fighters. They're headed to the Urborg and will give us a ride; in exchange they wanted some of Konoka's wormfang salve. I guess one of their guys is going to try that crazy challenge."

"Oh, okay," Nodoka muttered, not sure what to say.

*****

Through his limited experience with vampires Ranma knew better then to say that he expected anything from any of the undead beings. Of the two that he knew the runty Evangeline had proven to have the more garish taste. Goth Lolitas definitely were not to Ranma's liking, but apparently Eva loved the look. Her magical resort had accentuated the gothic taste by making the look appear… well, like it belonged there.

Lynx on the other hand was very much like Ranma. Aside from the library of scrolls and spells, and the small etching of his wife the vampire had not decorated the cavern that he had shared with Nasham. Furnished to the point of functionality but with little else, Lynx had appeared to be ready to leave whenever a mission or job came up.

Szadeck was completely different from both Eva and Lynx, if Ranma were to judge by just the entrance room to the ancient day walking vampire's lair. The long hallway was well lit despite the high ceilings. Lining the walls stood various trophies, each testament to the vampire's many conquests and accomplishments. A broken claymore and a crushed helm stood before a glorious rendition of the epic battle between the armored warrior and the vampire; the skeletal remains of a seven headed hydra, also standing before an equally impressive painting of their battle; a broken staff and the blackened remains of the dead pactio card, also proudly displayed before the terrible lifelike image of the destruction of a castle. Looking further down the hallway Ranma could make out several dozen other trophies, each standing before a painting that explained the story behind them. At the end of the hallway stood a twenty meter tall gold and white marble statue of the elegant vampire.

"So Evangeline sent you to train under me," a distinctly feminine voice called out, her voice echoing in the vast chamber. Stepping out from behind the statue Szadeck smiled as she eyed her new toy. "I think I'm going to enjoy breaking you in."

Feeling a slight tingling of magic Ranma closed his eyes. Channeling his ki he opened his eyes, dispelling the illusion.

"My, how observant of you," a deep, clearly male voice rasped. "I had not expected you to dispel it with ki."

Glancing around the darkness Ranma slowly let his eyes adjust to the lack of light as he turned to face the voice. _So it wasn't an illusion; just a glamour to cover his appearance and voice_.

"Here," the voice called out. Slowly the chamber filled with bluish light as several torches flared. "That more to your liking?"

Looking at the reptilian face with long fangs and snake like eyes Ranma wasn't sure what to make of the figure before him. "You're not…" he was about to say human, but clearly being a vampire had eliminated that option, "what I expected."

"And I had not expected a Nephalim to enter my realm either," Szadeck hissed.

Seeing that the rest of the hallway was just now starting to be lit by the magical torches Ranma blinked, readjusting his eyes to the light. "I'm sorry for dispelling your torches."

Flashing a toothy grin the vampire bowed slightly. "It's only a few torches, if you had knocked over one of my trophies that would have been another story."

Sensing the familiar feeling of magic around him Ranma stood still as the draconian vampire circled around and examined him with all its senses. Huffing, the vampire shook its head.

"There is nothing I can teach you," Szadeck stated.

Floored by the vampire's proclamation Ranma simply stood, his mouth agape, as the vampire walked away. "But… but Eva sent me to see you."

"Of course she would, she's an idiot!" the lizard vampire snapped. "Had she known what you were I doubt that she'd have suggested sending you here. Even I can't train a Nephalim in magical arts. There's a reason why your kind have not been seen since the end of the war; spiritual energy and magical energy do not mix well. Even the Ostians were exterminated because of their ability to use both magic and ki."

Smirking Szadeck eyed the cursed boy. "Unless she's not an idiot and realized just what you were."

Spinning around the vampire ripped off his cape, revealing large, leathery wings. Leaping into the air the vampire took flight. "What are you waiting for, follow me!"

Jumping into the air Ranma followed after the vampire. Sensing several different air currents and feeling several solid masses as he chased after Szadeck, the cursed boy realized that they were navigating through an invisible aerial maze. Seeing the vampire retract his wings as he landed before a large swirling pool of dark energy Ranma followed suit.

"This is the only thing here that can help you," Szadeck stated.

Leaning over the ledge to get a better look at the strange substance Ranma couldn't help but feel a sense of dread.

"What's in there?" he asked tentatively.

"You're worst fears," the vampire replied.

"C…ca…cats?" the cursed boy muttered, instinctively cringing.

Blinking, Szadeck eyed the pigtailed martial artist. "Worse," he replied, pushing Ranma into the pool.

*****

Looking over the large suites that Purraj had assigned to them Chisame couldn't help but pick her jaw up from the floor.

"It's huge," Yuna shouted as she threw her bags into the air and jumped into the large, plush bed.

Following her lead the other girls quickly threw their things to the side before running around the room, examining everything and finding many things that suited their individual tastes.

"It's our best suite," Purraj stated, watching as the girls inspected the room and everything in it. "This is the first time we've had a team that we sponsored has made it into the Ostia Tournament; it's the least we can do. With Team Negima staying here we're sure to draw a strong crowd. And if my cousin's little Nameless Café can draw huge crowds with you girls I'm sure the Urborg will definitely benefit from having some cute young girls here.

"When you're done unpacking talk to Irini," the panther-like Pardic said, indicating the female dwarf by her side. "She'll take you down to the bathhouse and make sure everyone else is out."

Watching as Ku Fei leapt from couch to couch, the gynoid smiled.

"Save some energy for tonight," Chisame shouted. Still in her neko-chibi disguise the manager of Team Negima shook her head at overly playful antics of her classmates. "Sorry about that, they're still idiots."

Chuckling, Purraj flashed her sharp teeth as she grinned. "No worries, I'm just wondering where Nagi and Kojirou are and when they'll arrive. The festival doesn't start until next week and the tournament starts two days later, but I was hoping to meet them before things got really crazy."

"And there's the third member," the dwarf added. "She's a surprise entry that no one seems to know anything about."

"You know fighters," Akira said, joining the conversation, "always looking to get more training in before the tournament."

"True," the dwarf admitted. "Most fighters won't arrive until a day or two before the festival starts. Only the local teams are here, and even they are out in the ruins training."

Excusing herself Purraj returned to the kitchen, preparing her tavern for the night's many customers.

"Hey, stop goofing off!" Chisame shouted, trying to reign in the other girls. Looking up at Akira and Chisame, neko-chibi Chisame scowled, "Would you two please get the other girls together? We need to get ready for tonight."

"Tonight, what's so special about tonight?" Natsumi asked, rolling out of one of the beds.

"The other girls are supposed to be here," Kazumi explained, looking up from her handheld monitor. "They're at the city's southern gate right now."

*****

Opening his eyes Ranma found himself surrounded by darkness. Weightless, the cursed boy floated in the nothingness. "Where the hell am I?" he shouted, hoping to hear an echo or some sort of response. Forcing ki into his ears to extend his hearing Ranma waited to hear something, anything.

Waiting patiently the cursed boy heard nothing. Shouting again, Ranma hoped for a different result. Hearing nothing, the cursed martial artist huffed in frustration.

Catching a distant sound, the pigtailed boy strained his ears, turning around to find the source. Detecting nothing, he sighed.

Hearing a yowl far in the distance Ranma recognized the sound. Trembling in dread of the source, the martial artist listened as the sound became clearer and louder. Soon several other yowls answered the original, each coming from a different direction.

Seeing the horde of evil cats slowly, methodically closing on him, Ranma took several deep breaths, forcing himself to relax. Soon more and more cats appeared, each a different breed and color. Surrounded by his greatest fears Ranma tried to face his tormentors.

*****

Looking through the package that his former apprentice had sent him Szadeck smiled. It was rare that any of his former students ever tried to contact him, much less ones that had gone to the old world, or the only one that he had banished from the magical world. Still, after two decades apparently the legendary terror that had once been his student had apparently forgiven him for banishing her.

Pulling the first book out of the chest he turned it over, examining it. "'Harry Potter,'" he muttered not sure what to make of the gift. "This should be interesting."

Feeling a surge of magical power building up the ancient vampire put the book back into the chest. _She really did send an exceptional student_, the vampire thought as he rushed back to magical pool.

Reaching the pool the vampire frowned as he considered the odd energies emanating from the dark pool. Suddenly a flash of bright light filled the corridor.

Blinking back the blindness, Szadeck focused his eyes on the dark form hovering over the magical pool. Recognizing the figure the vampire looked down at the pool.

"No!"

Slowly the water began to drain from the onyx basin.

"NO!!"

Ranma landed hard, crashing into the remains of the pool. Feeling two strong hands pulling him to his feet the cursed boy opened his eyes.

"You broke my unbreakable artifact!" Szadeck cried out. "YOU BROKE THE POOL OF MEDITATION!! Do you know how many centuries I spent building that artifact?! You broke my greatest invention!!"

*****

A/N

Ha!

Ha!!

For all of you who thought I was going to cure Ranma of his greatest fear, HA!!!

Seriously, why would I cure him of the Neko Ken?

Anyways, I'm closing the Poll this weekend, and I'll post the end results with the next chapter.

If you liked the end of the last chapter, you should thank Teturo. It was really his idea. Which also lead me to add in Ranma's perverted thoughts about the girls. It really did work out very well.

I do love my betas, in a "my beta's are cool guys" kinda way, not that other way you perverts (your people are sick, sick I tell you!).

Yes, my rant at the beginning of the chapter was biased. While I think Akane is cute, I do think that many of the Mahora girls are cuter.

For those of you who haven't voted – GO VOTE! There's a new poll!

Later.

Dreamingfox


	21. Chapter 21

Author's Notes

Yes, another chapter.

Thanks to everyone who's read and reviewed, and those who haven't. Thanks of course to my betas – Teturo, KitsuneOverlord, Kamen Rider Den-O, and Lance.

*****

Looking down at the broken onyx basin that had held some weird magical water, Ranma wondered just what had happened. Closing one eye as he screwed his face in thought, the cursed boy tried to recall the missing memories.

"I can't believe you broke it," the vampire repeated (for the fifth or sixth time), still in shock that his valuable artifact had been destroyed.

"Would you please stop saying that," Ranma snapped.

Having a propensity to destroy things randomly or unintentionally (and sometimes purposely) the pigtailed martial artist had expected the owner of the destroyed item to actually react. Had it been Akane, the uncute tomboy would have shoved him through the wall, or hit him with that mysterious mallet of hers, and called him a name. Shampoo and Kodachi would have started plotting some sort of revenge. Ryoga, Mouse and Kuno would have just added it to their laundry list of things against him and tried to beat him up. But the vampire's display of shock was, well, weird. For such a powerful and ancient being, simple shock was, well, pathetic.

Feeling a surge of killer intent Ranma couldn't help but wonder if he should have just let Szadeck continue to gripe about his broken artifact. "Um… never mind…"

Looking at the predatorily eyes of the vampire the cursed boy (wait, I'm 18, I'm a man now!) stood his ground. "Look, I'm sorry about breaking your, um, thingy," he apologized. "But I didn't mean to and I hope to kami that Eva didn't send me here just because she knew that this would happen."

"That water is from the Dead Sea," the vampire stated. "I collected it over six hundred years ago; the last time I was out in the old world. The chamber directly beneath this one houses my greenhouse. You just flooded it and killed all my rare magical plants. You know how many years I've been trying to grow some of those plants? Or how many potions are going to be ruined now that I don't have some of the key ingredients?"

Not wanting to back down despite knowing that he was sort of in the wrong, Ranma politely bowed, keeping his eyes on the vampire. "I said I was sorry."

"Pf… whatever," the vampire muttered, stomping off. Reaching the end of the corridor he spread his wings. "Are you coming or not?"

Blinking in surprise Ranma quickly chased after the eccentric vampire.

"That pool was supposed to cure you of your worst fear," Szadeck stated. Gliding down through the maze of corridors he led Ranma away from the pool. "Apparently you have more then just an irrational fear of cats."

Landing in a well lit corridor the vampire waited for the cursed young man. "I guess you don't work well with quick power ups. Still, I can't teach you anything about ki or martial arts. I only know magical arts - or the use of magic to make one stronger and a better fighter."

Catching up to the ancient, Ranma paused as he considered the implications. "You can do that with magic?"

"Of course you can," the vampire exclaimed. Looking at Ranma as though the young man were a complete idiot, he shook his head. "I forgot, you're ki based, not mana based. Mana and ki can both enhance and strengthen a fighter; it's just that the mechanics of each are different."

"Generally that's true," Ranma interjected, "but Kanka and other techniques do work just like ki techniques do."

Looking at the young man in a new light Szadeck smiled. "I guess you're not as dumb as you look."

"Hey, I'm not an idiot you know!" the martial artist shouted in his defense. "I'm not just a dumb jock!"

"And I'm slowly realizing that fact," the vampire replied.

Leading the youth down the corridor and past several doors the vampire finally stopped before a large wooden door. "Anyways, maybe you can learn something while you're here," he stated. "This is the section of my library dedicated to containing the Celestial Arts."

"Celestial Arts?" the pigtailed youth repeated.

"Divine fighting styles used by gods, or kami, and their servants - the nine choirs," Szadeck explained. "You're Nephalim, the descendent of an angel, the lowest ranking choir. Though they may have had their own specific skills, there is much more for you to learn."

Seeing the young man's look of overwhelming joy as Ranma considered all the other techniques he could learn, Szadeck sighed. "There is a catch - once you open a scroll you can't move onto the next one until you've mastered the skills and techniques in it."

Eying the sagely vampire Ranma cocked his head, considering the source of the advice. "What would you know of those scrolls?"

"I know that they're keyed to the user's ki, like all Celestial Scrolls are," the ancient replied. "One of my first lovers was a Nephalim, and she only managed to open two scrolls in her lifetime. She's the one who built this library. She lived to be two hundred."

*****

Looking at the assembled girls Konoka smiled. Due to the hectic nature of their reunion and settling in at the Urborg, they had all had a long day. Despite that fact, or because of it, Konoka knew that this meeting was necessary. While not all of them were members of Ala Alba, the young girl knew that they all shared a mutual interest.

"Sorry to keep you all up, I'm sure that each of us wants to get some much deserved rest, but there is a matter that we all need to discuss," Konoka explained.

Glancing at the other girls Takane knew that she was in the minority. As the only one of the group attending high school, and the only one not in Negi's class, the shadow mage wasn't exactly sure why Konoka and Kaede had invited her to the meeting. If it had anything to do with getting back to the old world and Japan, then all of the girls deserved to be there. "What do we all have in common that the other girls don't?" she finally asked.

Eying the older girl incredulously, Konoka shook her head. "Ranma," she replied, "we've all kissed Ranma. That's why we're all here."

Seeing several girl blushing, some openly, others demurely, Konoka knew she had everyone's attention. "I think we need to set some ground rules when we're with Ranma."

"Ground rules?" the mousy librarian repeated, not sure what to make of the situation. Having not been invited to join in on the 'secret' meeting she had reluctantly been convinced by her classmates that 'secrets' between the large group would be detrimental to the group as a whole.

"They're talking about Ranma?" Natsumi echoed.

"He kissed all of them?" Ako added.

Mei's disposition clearly soured at the news. The younger girl had clearly expected her seniors to set a better example; they were supposed to be… setting a better example, not kissing wanna be Casanovas or Don Juan's. "I can't believe he gets around so much!"

"'I know we each like Ranma,'" Chisame read aloud, sharing the thoughts of the ninja as the tall girl spoke up during the clandestine meeting. _Oh my god! If only I could update my site from here. Think of all the dirt I could get on the rest of the class! My faithful followers would love this! I'm definitely getting Nodoka to help me get more dirt on the girls when we get back! _"'That's why I agree with Konoka that we should set some ground rules.' That's Kaede."

"'We don't know that he really likes us,'" Makie, reading Setsuna's thoughts, read trying her best but failing at impersonating the normally stoic swordswoman.

"'Why else would he have kissed us?'" Nodoka answered in Konoka's behalf.

"'I don't know about you girls,'" Yuna said, reading from Kazumi's book, "'but I kissed him.' Oh my, I can't believe she's so aggressive."

"'He was possessed!'" Mei shouted, reading from her senior's book. "'He's being controlled by demonic influences!'"

"'While I agree that he wasn't completely in control of himself,'" Nodoka said, slowly articulating the calm girl's thoughts, "'but if he hadn't maintained at least some control do you think he, under the influence of_ five_ succubae, would have stopped at just kissing us?'"

"'I wouldn't mind if he didn't hold back with me.' I can't believe what she's thinking," Yuna exclaimed, showing everyone the graphic images that appeared on the pages of the book.

"What are you doing?" Misora cried out, covering Kokone's innocent young eyes with Takane's book.

"Sorry," the over excited girl replied.

"Asuna's wondering if Ranma's actually attracted to her," Natsumi said as she peered at the book Misora was holding.

"Well he did kiss her," Makie stated. "Well, he kissed all of them."

"We shouldn't be doing this," the normally mousy Nodoka pleaded despite the fact that she was continuing to read Konoka's thoughts.

"But it's so good!" Yuna squealed as she turned her attention back to Kazumi's book.

"'We shouldn't force the issue with him,'" Ako read aloud, sharing Akira's thoughts with the other girls. "'I know that he's had a crazy life with all those insane girls chasing him back in Nerima, so I won't do anything that might hurt him.'"

"Aww, she really likes him," Natsumi squealed.

"'Do you hear something?'" Nodoka added. "Oh, I think they're onto us."

"You're right," Yuna whispered. "Kaede's coming to check things out."

Dispelling her artifact the mousy librarian yelped as Misora knocked the small girl over in the mishmash of activity. Scrambling for their clothes and beds the girls threw things around as they tried to look normal.

"What happened here?" Kaede asked as she scanned the carnage.

Looking at each other the girls giggled. "Nothing," Misora grinned, "just getting ready for bed."

*****

Hearing the door close behind him Ranma quickly channeled ki into his hands. Reaching up he grabbed the closest scroll. Suddenly the room faded, replaced with a bright white room.

"What are you fighting for?" an ominous voice asked.

"Wha?"

"What are you fighting for?" the voice asked again.

"To be the best," Ranma replied. Steeling himself the young martial artist took a deep breath. "I fight to prove that I'm the best."

Slowly several figures began to take shape, dulling the bright lights of the room. Watching Ranma slowly made out a building, then field, and a crowd. Spotting two figures moving around the field the cursed martial artist knew he was watching one of his fights even before he could clearly make out his own image.

"Man, I was so sloppy," he said, critiquing himself. "Look, I should have put Kuno down here, but I let him nearly land a hit on me instead."

"Is that all?" the voice questioned. "Why were you fighting?"

"Kuno challenged me," the young man replied.

"So you fought."

"Yeah."

"Even though you knew you could beat him?"

"Yeah."

"So why did you fight? You already knew you could beat him."

"Because he challenged me," Ranma snapped back. "It's a matter of honor. I have to be a man amongst men; I can't lose."

"Because then you wouldn't be a man?"

"Yeah!"

"But you're still not a man," the voice replied. "What does a man gain from fighting an opponent he knows he can beat? Nothing."

Ranma blinked, trying to follow the voice's logic. It didn't make sense, but it did too.

"So why do you fight?"

Watching another fight, this one between him and Mouse, Ranma wondered why he was watching his old fights. "Why am I watching these? I lived through them. I already know that I win this fight, even though I was supposed to throw it."

Again the scene shifted, this time to a random fight against Happosai following one of the old pervert's disrupted panty raids.

"Why do you fight?"

Watching the fight Ranma knew that he could have avoided the fight, if only he had not interfered with the old man's lechery. But he couldn't let the old man have his way; someone had to stand up to him.

"Does fighting prove that you are a man?"

Once again the scene changed. Unlike the other scenes of fighting this one was much more subdued and peaceful. Watching as the Ala Alba walked through the dark streets of the peaceful hamlet village, the young martial artist clearly made out his own form as he pulled the emotional Haruna to him, supporting the distraught girl.

"Winning a fight does not prove that you are a man."

Slowly the scene faded out only to be replaced with the chaos of the fight in the gateport Ranma cringed as the fake Haruna was turned to stone. Contemplating the destructive fight the martial artist felt a lump in his throat as his image charged up a Shishi Hokodan.

"Why do you fight?" the voice asked again.

"I'm afraid," the pigtailed youth answered honestly.

"What are you afraid of?"

Looking deep inside of himself the cursed youth dreaded admitting the truth. Even though he was alone in the void, the pigtailed martial artist didn't want to concede the fact that even he had a weakness.

"I'm afraid of being alone," he proclaimed defiantly. If not for his art Ranma knew that he'd be alone. It had forged his friendly rivalry with the lost boy, even prompting the lost boy to follow him to China and then to Nerima. It was the reason why Shampoo and even Mouse followed him and subsequently stayed in Japan. Despite all their conflicts and fights, Ranma knew that if push came to shove he could rely on them to help out, just like they had against Herb and Saffron.

"Has fighting brought you happiness?"

Opening his mouth Ranma nearly answered the question.

Watching as he stood beside Akane as Ryoga attacked him the cursed martial artist realized that he hadn't been happy. No, he had been happy, but only recently. "Yes, it has," he acknowledged. "I may not have been happy in Nerima; but my art brought me to Mahora. It gave me a chance to make a difference, to meet people who see me as more then just a martial artist, who honestly like me despite my flaws."

Silence. Simple sweet silence as the scene faded.

"So why do you fight?"

"Because I want to protect my happiness," Ranma roared definitely. "To protect the people who are important to me because I don't want to be alone anymore. Because I'm nothing more then a martial artist without them."

Gradually the white mist solidified, revealing a raven haired man with midnight black feathered wings. "Now we can begin."

*****

Holding onto the delicate scroll Negi could feel the power radiating from the flimsy parchment. "This is Master's secret forbidden technique?" he asked, not sure if he wanted to access such a clearly dark technique.

"Yes," Jack replied with a smirk. "If you use it it'll give you a chance to beat Team Korwin in the Ostia Tournament. As you are now you couldn't beat that shadow mage, much less Fate."

"So this is as far as you can take us?" Kotaro asked. Considering the rapid growth and development of their powers in the past few days the dog hanyo could feel the difference between the way the two pre-teens had been and where they were now after subjecting themselves to the legendary fighter's training.

"Like any good training regiment you've reached the full potential of the first stage," the scarred man explained. "If you were to simply push yourself using the same tried but true methods you'd simply plateau, though there is a chance that you regress or worse, injure yourself once you pushed yourself too far. To reach the next level you need to push yourself in a different way."

Scratching his chin Negi considered his father's rival's advice. "So if we open this scroll we not only learn Master's technique, but we can reach that next level?"

Jack smirked, seeing that the boys had clearly not listened to him.

"You idiot!" Kotaro shouted, smacking his friend's head. "The scroll is for you."

"But…."

"I've got a few other tricks for the dog," Jack replied with a wicked grin. "Besides, someone has to watch over you while you're in the scroll."

Wide eyed and in clear disbelief, Negi looked at the scroll in his hands. "Astral projection? I'm going to train in the Astral plane?"

*****

Standing over another stone basin the ancient vampire stared at the clear water. Spotting a blonde head bobbing as its owner walked by, Szadeck focused his attention on the water.

"Stupid runt!" he shouted, catching the girl's attention.

"What'd you call me you stupid serpent?!" the girl returned as she rushed her scrying pool.

"I called you stupid," Szadeck replied coolly, "which you are. How could did you miss the fact that the young man you sent to see me was a Nephalim?"

Evangeline blinked. How indeed had she missed that? "I never tasted his blood you decrepit old fool!"

"Obviously, but didn't you at least test his blood?"

"Of course I did… oh; I never bothered to check the blood of his female form…" Realizing her oversight the blond vampire shook her head. "It's no wonder he's a curse magnet-"

"Since most magical curses are attracted to those with high ki levels," Szadeck finished.

"Not to mention that he old man's pissed off several low level kami," Eva added. "Since he's pure human and has a son, their curses against him would be passed down to the boy."

"Baldness is not a curse," the ancient stated defensively, "it's genetic."

Shaking her head the younger vampire wondered how even she managed to follow the crazy ancient's thoughts and ideas.

"Anyways, your stupid boy broke the Pool of Meditation."

"Well, he did level a mountain," the blond muttered, trying to recall some of Ranma's exploits.

"Not physically," the ancient explained. "It was purely psychological. He's got some incurable irrational fear of cats."

"Oh," Eva's eyes bulged as she realized the implications, "OH! The stupid Neko Ken of his… Stupid did stay that his old man threw him into a pit of cats as a runt."

"So?"

"He was covered in fish products."

Suddenly the ancient's image vanished from the scrying pool. His hissing laughter clear evidence of his knees buckling as he rolled around the ground. Taking several moments to compose himself, the ancient straightened his clothes before reappearing on the surface of the water.

"Anyways, it wasn't a means of torture, just an insane way for the runt to learn the legendary Cat Fist," Eva explained. "He somehow managed to survive it, but if he's around cats too much he goes berserk."

Crossing off the idea of torturing his few enemies with the Neko Ken training, the ancient vampire shook his head. "You should have let me know ahead of time. I wouldn't have bothered trying to cure a berserker of his fears. I could have moved the Pool of Meditation so that the chamber wasn't directly above my greenhouse at least."

"So what'd you do with him?" the tiny vampire asked. "You can't drink his blood because it's poisonous to vampires."

"True," the ancient admitted. "Now that he's reached the Nephalim majority in his cursed form, some of the cursed form's abilities are bleeding through to his original form. But since he's such a curse magnet, I think there are a few that we have around here that might be useful to him."

Realization dawned on the younger vampire. "You sent him into Razia's library." Seeing the satisfied look on the ancient's face Eva froze. "I need him to watch after my student!"

Eva never realized just how sinister the reptilian's face could be as he grinned, flashing his normally wicked teeth along with the long vampiric fangs. It was like staring at a dragon as it was about to take a bite out of you just to see how much its prey could take.

"Razia may have slaughtered her own kin, but she was far from being insane."

*****

Opening his eyes Ranma saw the sparkling ceiling. Sitting up the young man shook his head, reorienting himself to the library after his brief stint in the scroll. Scanning the library he found a chair. Not wanting to fall to the floor again, the cursed youth decided to at least cushion his fall by sitting down first. Replacing the scroll he had initially grabbed he grabbed another scroll. Sitting down, he took a deep breath, preparing himself for the venture into the scroll.

Feeling the rumbling in his empty stomach the cursed boy decided to against plunging into the scroll. Finding a tray of sweet meats, cheeses, bread and wine the martial artist sniffed the food. Finding nothing wrong with the food the youth quickly consumed the food. Not sure about the wine, but needing something to quench his parched throat, Ranma uncorked the bottle. Chugging the sweet but pungent liquid, he blinked as the alcohol hit him. Coughing, he shook his head, trying to clear his throat. Setting the bottle down Ranma eyed the blackish liquid. Definitely not something to chug.

Returning to the scroll the young man sat down. Charging ki into his hands he grasped the scroll. Expecting another out of body experience he was slightly disappointed when the scroll opened up before him, revealing angelic writing. Channeling more ki into his hands he felt the knowledge pouring into his mind. Angelic seals and ki equations; definitely not his strong point. Sighing, he settled in for a long training session.

Despite the fact that he had spent much of his time in school sleeping, Ranma knew he wasn't stupid. Sure, he failed several tests, but normally he did just enough to pass. While he would never be an accomplished scholar, it wasn't due to a lack of intelligence, merely a lack of drive and motivation. Deciphering scrolls, analyzing, breaking down, and reconstructing techniques was not the work of an idiot as only those who were motivated and understood the mechanics could fully master a technique as quickly as he did from just seeing it written down or after fighting an opponent a few times.

"Oh," he exclaimed. After countless hours he had finally realized the purpose and use of this particular equation. "Wow!"

Pushing his mind further the pigtailed youth found himself completely focused on mastering the equation. Pulling a feather out of stuff space, he sharpened the tip. Stabbing his arm with the feather Ranma used the blood to write out the seals and ki equation on his left arm. Once finished he channeled ki into the seals. Feeling the energy quickly being absorbed by the seals, he watched as his flesh absorbed his blood, leaving no trace of the seal.

Turning his attention back to the scroll he watched as it rolled itself up and flew back into the hole that he had pulled it out of.

Feeling the pangs of hunger gripping his stomach Ranma knew that he'd have to eat something more solid then the small tray of food he's snacked on before. Standing up he stretched his underused muscles. Breathing deeply, he let out a long yawn as he blinked back the edge of exhaustion that hinted at how long he'd been studying the scroll.

Opening the door out to the corridor Ranma found a map posted on the wall opposite the door. Moving down the hallway and passing two doors he found a note on the third door.

_Feel free to take anything from the pantry. Hopefully it's stocked with enough food for you, but since I don't really eat solid food I haven't had to use that room in a while. Don't close the door once you go in. The door triggers a stasis spell that would lock you in time and space. Great for preserving food but horrible for the poor fool that forgets to keep the door propped open while you're in there. Across from it you'll find a small dining room. Just remember to close the door to the pantry once you're done. I'm pretty sure no one's used the room in decades, but just in case you find someone frozen in time, ring bell. - Szadeck_

Examining the dining room Ranma found small fireplace, several chairs, and a solid stone table. Leaving the door open the cursed young man decided to grab one of the chairs to prop open the door to the pantry. Pulling open the door to the storage room he set the chair against the door. Testing it to make sure that the door wouldn't suddenly close on him, Ranma decided to play it very safe. Pulling a feather out of stuff space he created a feather clone. Sending the handsome creation into the room he waited for his duplicate to emerge.

Duce, the feather clone, couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy. If the original Ranma felt the need to be this cautious about entering a room, Duce, the expendable clone, couldn't help but feel very edgy. Still, he was a clone of Ranma, the nearly fearless master of several different schools of martial arts and now the very powerful embodiment of… well, chaos. Wait, the original had always attracted chaos. Now he was just, well, more powerful.

Shaking his head to clear it of the tangent thoughts, Duce scanned the room. Finding lots of meat, and not many vegetables or fruits, he shook his head. Vampires just didn't eat very healthy did they… wait, vampires didn't eat. Blinking, Duce again shook his head. Finding several large cuts of meat he quickly grabbed enough to satisfy the original's needs. So long as it wasn't Akane's cooking, Duce was sure that the original wouldn't care.

*****

After two full days at the Urborg, Chisame could honestly say that she was enjoying herself for the first time since coming to the magical world. While she had promised not to publish the groups adventures in the magical world on her website, the online idol knew that the situation with Ranma and his harem of girls was fair play, so long as she omitted any mention of the magical world and magic in general (which did not include the magical tingly feeling one got from their first kiss). Grinning evilly she knew that if things worked out she could even get a juicy contract to write a book about Ranma's misadventures. For now though, the internet idol needed to figure out if and how the cursed boy's gender switching ability factored into his relationships with the seven girls.

Looking over the smaller girl's shoulders Chachamaru frowned, not even noticing the emotion playing at the edge of her awareness. Seeing the notes and diagram connecting Ranma to each of them and then each of the girls to each other, the artificial being knew that her companion was technically not doing anything wrong.

"You forgot that Akira and Kazumi both have formed provisional contracts with Ranma," the gynoid noted.

"Oh, you're right," the internet idol replied, adding the omission to her diagram. I think I need to give each of them a code name," Chisame announced as she looked up from her notes. "I mean, they're all pretty good fighters, I'd hate to think that they might accidentally stumble upon my notes and take offense. But what's a good cover? There are seven of them, and the only groups that have that many people are Snow White's seven dwarfs and the Seven Samurai."

"I would recommend naming them after the Seven Samurai," the gynoid suggested. "Each of them is in her own right a skilled fighter, with only Akira starting to learn martial arts now."

"That's a good idea," Chisame agreed. "Ranma and the Seven Samurai. It has a nice ring to it too! And Akira would be great as Katsushiro Okamoto - the un-blooded young warrior of the group, and Takane as Kikuchiyo - the outsider who really isn't from our class."

Enjoying the possibilities of her new code names for Ranma's harem, the internet idol grinned wickedly.

*****

A/N

First – in regards to the cursed springs, how many people (prior to Ranma and the NWC) fell into the springs? I'm assuming that not too many have, and those who have probably didn't have the emotional and mental, and physical fortitude to deal with their water triggered curse. Ryoga barely survives being cooked; just think if a real panda or something else that didn't care to cook its dinner had found the poor little piglet (Think _Between Night and Day_, where we see poor Ryoga being eaten by Demona). Looking at the Wrecking Crew, I doubt that they're the type to be emotionally unstable enough to consider suicide. How many springs are there and now many victims? I don't think that there are that many people who were subjected to that particular Spring of Drowned Girl; and those animals that were might explain how powerful some of the Musk clan got to be. Still, I doubt that they would stay around too long, not to mention that the captured animals were probably already adults, thus not triggering the change as they already were adults.

Second - Sorry about that, but I forgot to change the poll settings before the last chapter. There is a new poll on my profile, please vote.

The whole bit about the clones having names/distinctions is actually an idea I borrowed from reading _A Saotome in Konoha_ by Perfect Lionheart.

Thanks to everyone who voted on my first poll. Setsuna (18) barely squeaked by Kaede (15), but the two girls blew by the rest of the field. Asuna (7) just managed to pass Akira (5) and Haruna (3), with Takane and Kazumi each earning only one vote each.

I really must say that anytime I expect to take more time to write up and post a new chapter I somehow manage to get it done sooner and faster then I expect. I really do have to get to doing my taxes and not slacking off, but somehow I tend to do just that, slack off. Guess that's why I consider myself a professional slacker. The more I say I'm going to work, the more I slack off.

Anyways, please read and review, and vote too!

Dreamingfox


	22. Chapter 22

Author's Notes

Thanks to my Betas – KitsuneOverlord, Teturo, Lance, and Kamen Rider Den-O. They help keep me in line and provide useful information to make this fic much better then if I was doing it myself.

Thanks to all the faithful readers and reviewers who have given me some good feedback and advice. While I may be writing to stoke my own ego, it's always good to know that there are people out there who like what I've written.

By the time I post this chapter I'll have closed the last poll – Who should go Ranma take on his first date?

*****

"Ah," the young hanyo exclaimed, "I can't wait to try the Cloud Chaser Waffles at the Urborg!"

"I'm just glad that we're done training," the young mage added. _I can't wait to test my new abilities_.

"Yeah, time to relax a bit before the tournament starts," Kotaro smirked. "But we do have to check in with our sponsor and check out who we're supposed to face in the first round."

"But where'd Rakan go off to anyways?"

Shrugging his shoulders the dog hanyo eyed his companion, "He said that he had another something to do before he could meet up with us at the Urborg. He said something about wanting to meet up with another student of his master."

*****

Absent mindedly finishing his fifth steak Ranma eyed his host. "How long have I been in the library?"

Swirling the thick crimson liquid in his goblet Szadeck yawned, flashing his sharp, vicious teeth. "It's been five days," the vampire finally answered, eying the list of food that the cursed youth had consumed.

_Three scrolls in five days_, Ranma thought, _that last guy must have been pretty lame if he only mastered two in two centuries._

"I have to admit," the vampire said, interrupting Ranma's thoughts, "you truly are an exceptional student. To think that you've mastered a scroll, much less three, in this little time is remarkable."

Chewing then swallowing the last of a sixth steak, Ranma nodded. "Thanks."

"I never imagined that you were capable of such a feat," the ancient added, "but there was a reason why the last person to enter the library only mastered two scrolls in his two centuries of study."

_He? _

"So, how many of the scrolls were you suck into?" the vampire asked simply.

"Two."

"That's good," Szadeck nodded. "There's a curse on each scroll. That's why it took him a century to deal with and finally manage the curse from the first scroll; he died while trying to master the second curse."

"There's a curse on the scrolls?!" the young martial artist exclaimed.

"Yes," the vampire replied calmly. "It's nothing serious; at least not to someone like you. I doubt that they'll override your gender/body switching curse, or re-activate your whisker/hair curse. Judging from how much you've eaten in just this sitting, I'd say you're suffering from a hunger curse of some type."

Examining the stack of dirty dishes and plates the cursed boy listed off what he'd eaten.

"Six large dragon steaks, two whole Oraxids, a Petravark, seven liters of mossberry juice, three pots of blood rice, seventy two pieces of wormfang sushi, and two pots of dwarven potatoes," the vampire listed off. "Even a giant doesn't eat more then one pot of dwarven potatoes, and maybe only four steaks. Not to mention that the sushi would have killed anyone but a Nephalim or celestial being."

Considering the amount of food he'd eaten, Ranma blanched. Even with his considerable appetite this was a lot more then usual.

"The Angels, and Nephalim by extension, didn't put curses on their scrolls per say," the hoary vampire explained. "They see it as blessings that don't benefit the user."

Seeing the blank look on Ranma's face, Szadeck sighed. "It's all a matter of perspective. It's what you make of your blessing."

"So me eating more then I can pay for is going to be a good thing? How is that good?"

Looking at the stack of plates and food the venerable vampire shrugged, "You'll probably never loose a food eating competition. Besides, it's not like you have to give into your craving every time you eat. Just limit it to once a week or something."

Picking up his goblet Szadeck quickly quaffed the contents. "It could be worse; you could find yourself drawn to women's undergarments -though that curse did grant some sort of immortality; but only as long at the victim could procure fresh underwear."

Ranma nearly choked as the cogs in his mind clicked. _Happosai..._

"Anyways, you should probably leave soon," the vampire suggested.

"Why?"

"The door to this pocket dimension only stays open for five days. If you stay any longer you're going to miss the Ostia tournament." Pouring more blood into his goblet the vampire leaned back into his chair. "But before you go, I think we should take care of your provisional Pactios."

*****

Reading the list of many rules that the majority of the girls had all agreed to (some like Asuna had not voiced any opinion at all on any of the rules, though most did when one or two rules appeared to restrictive against them), Akira unconsciously fingered her pactio card.

"Morning," Chachamaru greeted, prompting the swimmer to hastily stuff the scroll into her pocket.

"Morning," Ku Fei added as the Chinese Martial artist finished a few light stretches.

"Morning," Akira returned, adding a slight bow to hide the fact that she had hidden something from her two instructors. Feeling a slight tingling coursing through her body the swimmer froze. Reaching into her pocket and pulling out her pactio card. Smiling as she saw the vivid colors coming to life on the card.

"Oh!" Ku Fei exclaimed. "Your card is active again. Good, now you practice with your staff. Yuna, Makie, time to practice!"

Nodding the swimmer grabbed her pactio card. "Adeat!"

*****

Examining the diagram Eva shrugged. Given her time constraints and her agreement with the Headmaster the vampire knew that this was the best she could do. With her ten year old body it was awfully hard to stare down the old man. The only time she'd managed to convince him to do something her way had been during the Mahora Festival, and that was only because she'd had a magical energy blade to the old coots neck.

"You're sure that this is the only option?" the headmaster asked as he eyed the summoning circle.

"You don't believe the report I gave you?" the vampire shot back.

"I believe you, but I can't help but think that there's another way," the wrinkled old man replied. Sighing he shrugged his ancient shoulders.

"There always is," Eva admitted, "but that way takes time we don't have. This is the only option we have right now."

Nodding the sagely headmaster relented. "We're violating several treaties here."

"We?" Eva asked, eying the wizened mage. "You don't have to be here. Who'd blame you if Evangeline did something without the school's permission? I would have done something like this anyways if Negi hadn't stopped me last year."

Catching the vampire's subtle hint the headmaster smiled. "It would be nice to visit my daughter and pay my respects. And look set up several suitors for Konoka when she returns from her vacation. And we do have to install those new generators tonight."

Suppressing a chuckle the tiny vampire nodded. Hopefully her package would be ready by then.

*****

Never one to take the round about way anywhere Ranma simply took the straightest path available, even if that meant leaping over yards and onto roofs. Taking the straight road to Ostia from Szadeck's hidden lair in the ruins of old kingdom of Vespertatial, the cursed youth kicked off of one gigantic floating rock to another. Sensing a presence directly ahead of him the martial artist diverted his own path as he hoped to avoid a needless fight. Feeling the presence alter its course so that it would intercept his Ranma shifted his course again, moving himself and the inevitable fight further away from prying eyes and Szadeck's lair.

Landing on a suitably sized and shaped rock, the cursed martial artist waited for his pursuer. Seeing a large blond man landing opposite him, Ranma shuddered as he felt the fighter's immense battle aura.

"Ranma Saotome of the Anything Goes School of Indiscriminate Martial Arts I presume?" the scarred man asked.

"Who wants to know?" the youth replied.

"You wouldn't know a man named Happosai, now would you?" the dark man asked.

Not the old pervert, Ranma sighed. What could the old lecher have done here? How had he even gotten to the magical world?

Seeing the look on the youth's face the scarred warrior grinned. "So you do know him." Examining the youth his eyes gleamed in anticipation of the fight ahead. "When I heard that you were a practitioner of Anything Goes I knew I had to fight you."

_Damn, it really was the old lecher that Szadeck was talking about_. "So what'd the old freak do to you?"

"I'll tell you once this is over."

"At least give me your name first," Ranma demanded. "Not that it matters as you'll just become another chump that lost to me."

Laughing at the youth's audacity Jack couldn't help but admire him. "The name's Jack Rakan, the Thousand Swords."

"Yeah, you'll need a thousand swords," Ranma taunted as he shifted into a casual stance. "Anything goes?"

"Of course," Jack replied, "I want to see everything you've got."

Taking up an offensive stance Jack eyed the pigtailed martial artist. Seeing that the youth wasn't about to make a move he smiled. _Just like the Happosai_.

"Adeat!" both shouted in unison.

Seeing the slightly surprised look on the grizzled veteran's face as Ranma produced his artifact. Seeing that his opponent was launching several dozen blades at him Ranma quickly ran his hand over the scroll, heedless of the number of techniques he employed.

Teleporting out of the minor trap that the scarred man was attempted to trap him in with the blades, Ranma appeared directly beside the fighter. Seeing that the fighter had expected him to appear directly behind him Ranma smirked as he hit the larger man with a swift front kick that the older man jumped over. Slapping away the counter kick Ranma went on the defensive. Keeping the larger man close so that he couldn't use his blades Ranma hoped that the man would reveal some new techniques for his scroll to copy.

"Typical," Jack replied, swiping at Ranma with a large blade.

Catching the blade between the fingers of his left hand Ranma used the larger man's momentum against him as he redirected the course of the attack, pulling the older man off balance so that he landed hard on the ground.

"I should have expected that," Rakan grumbled as he got back to his feet.

Seeing that his opponent now had the necessary range to attack with his swords Ranma nodded grimly, hoping to lure Jack back into close combat. Dodging and evading the swipes and stabs the cursed martial artist slowly backed off as the speed and intensity of the attacks slowly increased. Adjusting his speed to match his opponent's Ranma tried to slip back into the scarred man's guard. Striking the swords with the breaking point the cursed martial artist waited for the resulting explosion. Using his superior hand speed he deflected the shards back at his opponent as he rushed in. Landing a hundred quick blows to Rakan's sternum he forced the air out of the larger man before connecting with a sweeping kick.

Seeing his opponent rolling to his feet Ranma hastily followed up. Leaping into the air the cursed youth pressed his advantage, employing his family's aerial attacks on the larger and slower opponent. Using the momentum of his opponent's attacks the cursed martial artist twisted in midair, evading the subtle and powerful strikes and stabs from his opponent.

Dodging a near hit, the cursed youth exchanged his ripped shirt for several hundred punches to Jack's scarred face. Following up with several hard stomping kicks to the large man's chest Ranma drove his opponent into the ground before kicking off. Even with his edge in speed Ranma knew that it would take more then landing a few hundred punches to put the monster before him down.

_Damn, this guy makes Ryoga look like a cream puff_. Summoning Nasham, Ranma felt his skin tingle as the demon's metalic body strengthened his own. Rushing in the pigtailed martial artist pressed his brief advantage. Landing a barrage of kicks, punches, knees, and elbow strikes against the larger warrior Ranma molded his steel hardened body as he pummeled his opponent. Trading blows the two fighters rained thundering blows on each other's body. While Ranma connected several hundred more punches he knew that one of his opponent's hits was probably equal to at least twenty if not thirty of his. Knocking down Jack with several stiff kicks to the face, Ranma pulled back, ripping off his shredded shirt.

Gasping for breath Ranma knew that trading punches was not the way to beat the skilled and powerful warrior before him. Despite the disparity of strikes that he had landed versus that of his opponent Ranma knew this fight wasn't going his way. Even with his titanium strong defenses Ranma knew that he couldn't take more then a few more punches, not to mention that he was nearly punched out. True, he could resort to kanka, but even that wasn't a guarantee of victory, merely just prolonging the inevitable.

Seeing the hulking warrior rush in the cursed martial artist resorted to his normal defensive posture. While it appeared to be nothing more then the standard "dodge until they leave an opening" tactic Ranma knew that their marginal difference in speed was not enough for him to land a deciding blow. Focusing instead on his defense, the young martial artist parried the muscular man's strikes.

Slapping away a wrist here, leaving an opening there; Ranma lured Jack into an ever tightening spiral as he slowly pulled back his battle aura. Sensing a clear change in the flow of the battle Ranma watched as Jack pressed his advantage, forcing him back as they went, all the while unaware of the martial artist's trap. Dodging an overhead punch Ranma dropped to the ground as he unleashed a cold corkscrewing uppercut.

Clinging to the large floating rock the gender changing youth watched as his opponent was sucked into the vortex of swirling energies. Though his opponent took a fair beating from the floating rocks drawn into the tornado Ranma also noted the change in the weather. The cold blast of spiraling air had reacted badly with the humid moist air of the ruins, prompting the start of a sudden thunder storm. While the several bolts of the unexpected lightning had managed to strike and singe the dark skinned man Ranma could tell by the man's immense aura that the fight was far from over.

Getting back up to his feet the dark skinned man stood on the underside of a large floating rock. Cracking his neck he wiped his blood off his chin and nose. "I'm impressed, you're just a bit faster then me. And that last trick was a real surprise. But I can't let you get in all the good shots," he announced. "Abeat!"

Watching as his opponent leapt into the air, Ranma felt the overwhelming power his opponent possessed. Manifesting the power into a solid weapon, the mighty fighter hurled the glowing halberd at Ranma. Leaping into the air he channeled ki into his hands he grabbed the shaft of the halberd. Infusing the weapon with ki the pigtailed youth kicked off of the weapon just as the two energies reacted. Feeling the powerful explosion of energy behind him, he let it propel him forward at blinding speeds.

Knowing that he had only one chance to against the grizzled veteran fighter before him Ranma pulled together an impromptu strategy. Charging straight at his opponent Ranma passed through the rain heedlessly, rapidly closing the distance at a breakneck speed. Seeing the startled look on Jack's face Ranma pressed her advantage. Unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks she knew that despite her greater speed her punches weren't as effective as she had hoped.

_Is this an illusion? _Jack though, repressing a leering grin_. Damn! She's hot! _

Feeling a glancing blow against her exposed breast Ranma used the force of the blow to shift her momentum.

_Damn, those are real! Negi's holding out on me! Here he had me thinking he only had some cute young girls, but this one is seriously hot and an adult too!_ Mesmerized by the jiggling flesh before him the veteran fighter couldn't help but leer at his opponent despite the fact that they were fighting all out.

Determined to wipe the grin from Jack's face Ranma quickly parried the larger man's punch. Grabbing older fighter's wrist she pinched the nerve, forcing the hand to open. Pulling it to her breast she waited for the pervert's instincts to override his fighter's instincts.

"Oh!" Jack exclaimed despite himself.

Reaching into stuff space Ranma pulled out his ace. Stuffing the generous slice of wormfang sushi that she had been saving for lunch into the warrior's open mouth she followed up with a quick palm strike to the chin.

Seeing the surprised look on the perverted fighter's face Ranma knew that the magic-nullifying toxins in the raw wormfang were taking effect. Sensing the erratic flow of mana through his opponent's battle aura Ranma landed several quick kicks to the larger man's chest and stomach, sending him crashing into a floating rock below. Even without his magic enhancements Ranma knew that her opponent would survive the fall. Pulling out her wings Ranma slowly floated after her downed opponent.

Landing gently Ranma retracted her wings. Pulling a top out of stuff space Ranma quickly threw it on before approaching the kneeling pervert.

"That was impressive," Jack stated as he pushed himself into a sitting position. "Kinda dirty, but hey, anything goes, right?"

Nodding, Ranma sat on a rock.

"With a body like that, I'm sure you've had to beat Happosai off with a stick," Rakan grinned.

"Only when I'm a girl," Ranma replied. "How do you know the old freak?"

"Old? Oh, that's right, it was over fifty years ago that I ran into him," the scarred man replied. "My people age slower the most humans. Probably has something to do with living in the magical world so long. Anyways, I knew Happosai when he was just establishing the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts. As good as he was the school never became that big a hit here. Not many fighters here use ki, as I'm sure you've noticed. Tricks like stuffing wormfang sushi didn't go over too well with the prize fighters and bounty hunters. Not to mention that he had stolen the panties from the royal families, female senators, and raided the magical academies of both women's underwear and several scrolls. He was only here for a year or two then he suddenly vanished. Some said he got a magical curse that he couldn't handle, was too old and died, or that he went back to Japan. No one bothered to check for him, they were just glad that he was gone."

"And you?"

Rakan grinned. "I was his first student," the pervert admitted. "Until we figured out that I favored mana to ki. Still, kindred spirits and all."

Slapping her head Ranma wondered how she'd missed such an obvious connection._ Why, why are all the perverts attracted to me?_

*****

Wandering around Ostia Asuna knew that she should be moving around town by herself. Even with the chibi-neko disguise they all knew and agreed to not venture into the city alone. Still, Asuna had never really been one to follow all the rules. What was the harm of breaking this rule?

Moving away from the crowded main streets the fiery carrot-top found a secluded balcony. Taking in the beautiful scenery Asuna smiled. _This is nice_.

Soaking in the city below her the headstrong girl watched the distant storm. Lightning flashed between the debris of the ruins. Lost images flooded the normally steady girl. Feeling her knees buckling she leaned against the stone railing.

"Asuna?" a familiar voice called out to her.

Blinking back the images of thunder and exploding ground, Asuna slowly focused on the voices calling out to her.

"You all right?" the second voice asked.

Finding her eyes closed the hardheaded girl realized that she was sitting on a hard stone bench. Feeling the cool surface supporting her she lifted her head as she opened her eyes. Focusing her eyes on the two dark figures hovering over her, Asuna shook her head.

"Negi?" she muttered, slowly adjusting to his close proximity. "Kotaro," she said, guessing at the identity of her sensei's companion.

"Hey," the dog hanyo replied. "What happened to you?"

"Tired," she replied, "lots of late nights at the Urborg busing tables; the girls, well, being girls and all; and lots of the early festival stuff. And early mornings; do you know Ku Fei and Chachamaru are teaching Akira to fight? And Nodoka is teaching Yuna and Makie to cast spells with their wands."

Blinking, Negi slowly processed the information.

Shaking his head the young hanyo smirked. "Sounds like you're losing control of your class Negi," Kotaro taunted.

****

Casually blending into the large crowd heading into Ostia Ranko was glad that she'd managed to somehow ditch Jack. Even though the supposedly legendary fighter was supposedly heading the same way the cursed young man turned woman didn't feel like putting up with the pervert's behavior or remarks. _ At least he's not as bad as Happosai_.

Hearing her stomach growling the redhead followed the smell of food. Finding a booth she quickly moved onto the next one as she spotted the unusually high prices. Patting her nearly empty pockets Ranko scolded herself for not bringing more money with her. _Damn, I just had to give the last of my sushi to that pervert_.

After several minutes the gender changing youth finally found a booth with affordable prices. Grinning she ordered several trays. Stuffing all but two into stuff space Ranko quickly devoured the first one, ignoring the astonished looks from those around him.

"You here for the Urborg Challenge?" a young beast girl asked.

"Among other things."

"Ah wasn't sure," the girl replied in a strange accent. "I thought you were a fighter, but if you're eating wormfang sushi you couldn't be."

Ranko blinked, and then nodded. _I forgot that prize fighters primarily use magic and mana_, she thought to herself as she thanked the vendor. _No wonder this stuff's so cheap, with all the magic users and all_.

*****

Exploring the vast city and its many surprises Asuna, Kotaro, and Negi slowly headed towards the Urborg. Finding a small café that had the pleasant odor of freshly baked sea kittens Kotaro dragged the reluctant carrot-top in while Negi searched for a free table for them to enjoy their snack.

Spotting a vacant table the young mage moved to claim it. Freezing suddenly Negi's eyes narrowed as he eyed the familiar but unwanted visitor now sitting at the table.

_I did not come here to start anything,_ a voice calmly stated as it invaded his mind_. Please, sit; there is much we need to discuss._

Eying his white haired nemesis, Negi held his ground.

_Fighting me here wouldn't be advisable, _Fate sent him._ Nor would ignoring my request; there is a whole crowd here, think of how many people would get hurt if not die should we start a fight here_. _Besides, you and your companions have a hefty bounty on your heads; should any authorities arrive they'd blame everything on you._

Clenching his fist Negi grit his teeth as she slowly approached the table. Sitting down across from his adversary, he calmly set his hands on the table.

"I know what you're thinking," Fate stated. "'Why did he appear here?' 'Who are they?' 'What are their plans?'"

Glaring at Fate, Negi repressed a shudder. Panting, he tried to contain his thoughts and emotions.

"Such hostility," the white haired youth stated. "What have I done to warrant such a childish reception? Wouldn't it be better if you just tried to listen to what I have to say?"

"You once dropped this world into chaos," Negi stated in hushed tones. "As one of the survivors of the enemy group that my father fought, it appears that you've once again trying to destroy the world. I recognize you as my enemy, that's reason enough for me to consider your presence with such hostility."

"Such a narrow view of the world," Fate countered. "Right or wrong, don't you have 20 students and friends to see home safely from this pleasant summer vacation? As a teacher of Mahora Academy isn't your first duty to get your students home?"

"If you're going to hinder our ability to return home then how are you not an enemy?" Negi snapped back.

"Ah, but right there we are at a misunderstanding," Fate replied. "What happened back at the Gateport was because I thought you might interfere with our plans. I know you like to stick your nose into things that aren't really your business, and since you happened to do so at the Gateport I had to respond."

Smiling at his nemesis Negi nodded when the waitress arrived, leaving a pot of tea and one of coffee, and two cups on saucers for each of them.

"I honestly have no intention of interfering with your desire to return home," the white haired youth stated as he poured himself some coffee. "In fact I propose a trade. I can help return you all to the other world safely."

Seeing the expectant look on his enemy's face Negi poured himself some tea. "And in return?"

"In return all I ask for is the Princess," Fate replied. Picking up his cup the white haired youth sipped his hot coffee.

"How dare you even ask that!"

Calmly setting his cup down Fate shook his head. Spotting Asuna and Kotaro as they approached the table the mysterious boy smiled. "The girl has no relatives; were she to die here there would be no one to mourn her passing. Not to mention that the real world would be rid of a troubling person. You should know that she's been implanted with fake memories, even a fake personality. She's merely a doll."

Heedless of the consequences, Negi knocked aside the table before striking the still sitting Fate with a straight right hand punch to the face only to have his nemesis casually grabbing his fist, stopping his attack and momentum.

Shaking off the attack Fate flipped out of his chair as he released Negi's fist, unfazed by the sudden attack. Landing in front of the balcony's railing he stood up as two of his companions appeared he wiped the dust off his blazer, sighing. "You really are an idiot."

*****

A/N

Oraxid – a giant crablike creature, from Magic the Gathering

Petravark – a nightmare beast, also from Magic the Gathering

The Gateports are merely a means for legally transporting people between the magical world and the real world. But with those gates/portals destroyed you'd obviously have to seek other, less safe and legal ways of traveling through worlds. Finding other unused gates/portals or maybe finding something that can travel to each world. Or creating your own temporary gate, so long as you have someone on the other side who can create an anchoring portal.

Jack, as I've had him explain, is from a long-lived, slower aging humans from the magical world. That's why he hasn't aged much in 50 years compared to Happosai who hasn't aged well in those same 50 years.

I'll let you know how this poll goes. By the time the next chapter comes out I'll have closed it down and post the results.

Read and Review, and go vote!!

Dreamingfox


	23. Chapter 23

Author's Notes –

Thanks to my betas of course. I've fought pretty hard with them about some of the ideas and how to pull them off in this chapter. But they've helped me make this a better chapter.

Thanks to all the readers and reviewers who've encouraged this little fic to be what it is today.

I realize that Happosai and Cologne claim to be over 200-300+, but given that Happosai is granted temporary immortality due to his blessing (and subsequent cursed longing for panties and women's undergarments) so age is nothing to him.

Yes, Ranma vs. Rakan 1 was apparently very one-sided, but don't worry, there's going to be a rematch.

That's about it for these notes. Please read and review.

Oh, and this chapter isn't chronological, just slightly chronological.

*****

Sensing several large battle auras Ranma paused. Scanning the lay out of the city, the cursed youth crammed down the last bit of sushi (not including the half dozen trays in stuff space). Seeing a blast of magical energy up in one of the higher terraces Ranma felt several other auras emerge as other fights started around the city.

"Someone's fighting?" he heard someone ask their companion.

"That's not good," the speaker's companion stated. "With all the representatives and travelers from the different nations the Ostian government was clear that they would not tolerate any violence outside of the arena."

"Yeah," another companion interjected, "even the prize fighters know to settle their differences in the arena or at one of the food challenges."

Feeling several more spikes of magical energy Ranma hoped for the best while fearing for the worst. Vanishing from the crowd he'd been milling in, the cursed youth headed towards the closest disturbance.

*****

It had started as a casual stroll through the market place, stopping occasionally as Ku Fei sampled some of the exotic foods at the various vendors. As the designated 'purse' of the group Haruna had been tempted to pull her artifact out and draw food for the food hungry martial artist to eat. If not for the fact that 1) the food wasn't actually filling and 2) she'd be taking 1% of the damage to her food golems, the manga-ka had ultimately decided against using her artifact.

_At least Chachamaru doesn't eat anything,_ she thought to herself as the gynoid helped her drag Ku Fei away from a vendor. Counting the group's remaining coin she sighed_. At this rate we're not going to make it to the other side of the market_.

"Sushi!" Ku Fei shouted as she dragged both Chachamaru and Haruna to the vendor's cart.

Eying the posted menu and prices Haruna grinned. "She'll take two trays."

Glad to have a sale, the vendor handed the energetic martial artist three trays. "That one's on the house," the merchant stated as she handed over the trays. "It's wormfang dandan, so watch yourselves."

Nodding Haruna paid the vendor. Not knowing the significance of the fish she watched as Ku Fei pulled a Ranma and stuffed a whole tray into her mouth. Moving through the crowds the trio found a secluded spot for Ku Fei to dispose of the two empty trays. Suddenly Chachamaru took a defensive stance and froze, prompting the other girls to bump into the gynoids back.

Peering over her classmate's shoulder Haruna paused, recognizing one of the figures before her.

"So, we meet again," the psychotic Tsukuyomi greeted, an odd gleam to her eyes. "I was hoping to see Setsuna-sempai, but I guess I'll just try and have some fun with you three."

*****

Riding on Akira's shoulders the familiar tried to be on his best behavior. Still, how could he resist such a treat? Especially considering how he'd had to give up on stealing the girl's panties (as he was afraid of crossing Setsuna and Asuna, and didn't want to mess with the even scarier and now lust demon enhanced Ranma, no crossing a succubae or incubus was not smart). Giving up one vice, even temporarily, was hard enough as it was.

"Baked sea kittens!" Chamo barked, trying to turn the girls towards the shop with the wonderful smelling world renowned delicacy.

"Eww," Ako exclaimed, "how can you eat something so cute and cuddly?!"

"That's just so wrong!" Natsumi seconded.

Though he was presently riding on the swimmer's shoulder, the perverted ermine had hoped to be assigned to spy on one of the other Seven Samurai. Though he enjoyed spying, he couldn't help but think that Kazumi or Haruna would have been more enthusiastic about providing details about the group's secret meetings. While the swimmer wasn't as forth coming as he had hoped, it was clear that she had a genuine interest in trying to meet Ranma on more equal terms (compared to the other girls who remained specialized in their areas). Still, with Yuna, Makie, Ako and Natsumi around pestering their friend and classmate, Chamo was getting some useful information.

"Hey, isn't that Kotaro?" Natsumi asked, spotting a spiky haired youth with black hair and doglike ears.

"Good eye," Ako remarked as she followed her friend's glaze to the upper balcony. "Oh, and there's Negi and Asuna too."

Looking up Akira paused, taking in the scene. With Asuna and Kotaro standing in clearly defensive postures (something she'd learned to notice after training with Ku Fei and Chachamaru) and Negi sitting opposite a white haired youth… _ Him… that's not good_…

"Don't," Chamo cautioned, "you're not ready yet. Take the others and get back to the Urborg; I'll go check things out."

"No, you won't," a new voice interrupted.

Turning around the group spotted two small girls; one a cat girl with black fur and hair, the other a beast girl with horns, a strange tattoo on her face, and dusky complexion. While looking roughly their age, maybe a year or two younger at most, it was clear that the pair was much more powerful then they were.

Seeing the two cute, young girls, Chamo grinned. _Fair game!_

"You won't be going anywhere," the black furred cat girl added.

"EEEP!!"

Feeling small, clammy paws crawling up their legs and under their skirts the two girls screamed. Feeling a sudden breeze where there shouldn't have been, the girls blushed as they realized they'd just been liberated of their panties.

"Cuddly were-bears and vesper berries," the triumphant ermine declared as he held up the girls' panties.

"PERVERT!" the two shouted in unison as they fell to their knees.

"Hey, what respectable girl wears a skirt into battle?" Chamo countered as he sniffed the panties before stuffing them some where. (Just were no one knows, has this perverted ermine also mastered the use of stuff space? It's not like he carries a bag round you know.)

Suddenly the world faded from view, replaced by an empty white void. Slowly the void filled with solid white panels that peppered the vast space.

"And if we can help it you'll never go anywhere," the beast girl smirked.

"The world's a much safer place without a pervert like you around!" the cat girl shouted, slowly getting to her feet.

Suddenly the two figures vanished; leaving the give Mahora sports girls and the perverted ermine alone.

Several thousand kilometers away the two girls reappeared. Still inside the pocket dimension but far enough away from their targets the two quickly examined their things, hoping to find a spare change of panties.

"Can you believe how perverted that ermine is?" Suppressing a shudder Koyomi crumpled to the ground as she failed to find a change of under garments.

"I'm going to leave him to rot in here," the horned beast girl shouted defiantly.

Sensing another presence the two girls turned around.

"Who are you?" Koyomi asked.

Seeing the lost and confused look on the bandana wearing older boy Tamaki sighed. "Did you pull in a random passer-by?"

"I didn't think I did," the black haired cat girl replied. "But now that he's here he can't get out until we let the others out."

"At least he's not that Ranma Saotome guy," the beast girl added.

"Ranma Saotome?" the confused boy repeated. "You know Ranma Saotome?"

Sharing a questioning look the two girls edged away.

"The bane of my life Ranma Saotome!" the bandana wearing youth shouted. "Where is he?!"

Relieved to not be facing another enemy the girls relaxed. Though he still maintained a heated aura of rage and anger they knew that it wasn't directed at them.

"He's dead," the beast girl replied.

Righteous anger quickly vanished, replaced with overwhelming grief. "No, he can't be dead! Someone's robbed me of my right to kill that bastard Saotome!"

Suddenly a green aura filled the supposedly immense and immeasurable pocket dimension.

Thousands of kilometers away Akira watched as a familiar glow changed the lighting of the white realm. Recalling Ranma's desperate attack back in the Gateport the swimmer froze as the source of the light threatened to overwhelm them.

Suddenly the light faded, and the pocket dimension began to collapse. Looking around her Akira realized that they were once again in Ostia.

"Ranma?" she muttered, hoping to see the cursed boy once again even though she knew that the presence was not his.

"You know Ranma?" the feral looking boy asked. Though drained from his uncontrolled bout of grief Ryoga was sure that he hadn't done more then knock the two unusual girls out. Seeing the dazed girls at his feet the shrugged, sure that they'd get over it eventually.

Looking at the somehow familiar boy she nodded.

"He's not dead, is he?" the bandana wearing youth asked.

"No," she replied. "Though I haven't seen him for a while."

Smirking, the lost boy exposed his fangs. "I knew that miserable coward wasn't dead!"

Blinking at the sudden change in atmosphere Ako wondered just who this strange boy was. Beside her Natsumi and Makie shared her thoughts.

_Wow! What a stud_, the fifth member of the group though.

"So you don't know where Ranma is?" Ryoga asked.

"Um, no," Ako replied.

"Excuse me, but who are you?" Natsumi asked, not sure what to really make of the powerful boy that had just rescued them.

"Oh, sorry," the boy replied, scratching his head at having forgotten his manors. "I'm Ryoga Hibiki."

Not wanting to offend their savior and not suffering from foot in mouth disease like her crush, the swimmer tried to be more tactful. "Ranma's told me a lot about you."

*****

Sensing the sudden disappearance of two of his followers Fate would have smiled if not for that fact that he didn't want to tip his hand. Feeling their sudden re-emergence and subsequent weakening auras the white haired boy paused. _Tamaki and Koyomi failed? Someone beat their combo?_ He hadn't expected a third party to interfere. Close enough to read the presence he knew it wasn't Ranma; that martial artist was dead. No, another interloper had stumbled into the fray. Even with all the powerful fighters gathering in Ostia for the tournament he had not expected any of them to interfere due to the strict ban on fighting in the streets. Had one of the girls provoked the wrong person or had they inadvertently trapped a powerful fighter within the pocket dimension?

Sensing an opening, Negi rushed in. Seeing the surprise attack on their master the two girls moved to intercept Negi, only to find themselves engaging Asuna and Kotaro.

Hitting Fate with a stiff right uppercut Negi followed up with an elbow the stomach, hoping to drive the wind out of his nemesis.

More startled then injured the white haired youth flipped over the railing before composing himself in midair. Standing on nothing he eyed Negi as the young mage charged up his new technique. Sensing the growing magical energy being channeled by his opponent Fate adopted a defensive stance as Negi charged in.

Rushing in Negi landed a glancing blow but was hit with a counter knee to his ribs. Spinning, Negi tried to redirect his body as he tried to absorb the blow (just a little trick he'd learned from sparing with Ranma) but still had the air forced out of his lungs. Landing hard Negi resumed the offensive, trying to force Fate back.

Despite all that he was doing the young mage couldn't help but feel that his opponent wasn't taking him completely seriously. Landing a front kick Negi pushed off of his unbalanced enemy. Flipping through the air he began to channel his energy for _magia eriba_. Empowered by the dark magic the young mage renewed his onslaught.

Catching Fate with a stiff overhead punch to the temple Negi smiled as he felt the white haired youth actually buckle under the force of the powerful punch. _I can end this now_, he thought as he connected with a resounding left uppercut. Connecting with several more solid hits Negi sent his nemesis into a building, bringing down the wall in the process.

Kotaro watched from the corner of his eyes as Negi and Fate moved further away from his own fight with the flute or whatever musical instrument that his own opponent was using. Dodging the girl's attacks wasn't hard; it was keeping the blasts focused away from the crowds below that the dog hanyo was having difficulty with. Cut off from his friend and rival Kotaro knew that he had to start taking the fight more seriously.

Seeing a pillar of flame the hanyo knew that Asuna had her hands full with the pyromancer.

Slipping behind a column as he dodged an attack, Kotaro quickly created several imperfect shadow clones.

"Is that all you can do?" Shirabe taunted. Blasting away two clones, she couldn't help but acknowledge that the hanyo was fast. Just not fast enough to keep up with her flute.

"Hmm, not bad," Kotaro remarked. Standing directly beside her he eyed her instrument. "Two in one shot."

Spinning around she blasted him.

"Too slow," he taunted, this time on a rooftop directly between her and Homura.

"That's your plan?" she shot back, moving to intercept him. Not wanting him to assist the princess in her fights, Shirabe unleashed another blast, forcing him to move away from Asuna.

"I wouldn't help her," the young demon stated, leaping to another rooftop. "She'd kick my ass if I interfered with her fight."

"I'll kick your ass regardless!" she returned. Clearly he was underestimating her.

Allowing himself to be chased off, the clone continued to distract the young girl, luring her into the original's trap.

"Not so great, are you?" she taunted as she blew away the clone, not realizing that it was just a clone.

"You're right," Kotaro admitted. Having shadow jumped into her shadow he flipped her skirt up, exposing her panties to several other snickering clones.

"Pink flowers!" one of the clones cheered.

Embarrassed by the display she quickly pulled down her skirt, forgetting that she was in the middle of a fight and that she was on top of a roof.

"Sorry," the real Kotaro said as he grabbed her flute and pushed her off the ledge.

Glaring at the hanyo, Shirabe relented. Even though they had acquired their secondary objective, she hated to admit that she'd underestimated and lost to the hanyo. Relenting, she admitted defeat and quickly fled, following Homura and Shiori as they retreated.

*****

"If you'd simply accepted my offer or even tried to listen to reason you wouldn't be here right now," Fate lectured. "But look at you now; all bloodied and bruised because you're an idiot. You may not be as great an idiot as your father, but an idiot none the less."

Pushing himself up Negi quickly rushed his antagonist. Throwing a wild punch he suddenly felt the air being forced out of his lungs as Fate simply leaned back and kicked out with both of his feet, connecting with the young mage's stomach and chest. Doubled over, Negi felt the dark magic slowly receding as he lost the ability to focus on containing the energy. _I've already reached my limit?_

Forcing herself past the crowd of gawkers Nodoka spotted the pair of youths as their fight slowed before crashing into the commons. Having chased the pair after initially spotting them over the market place she struggled to keep up with them. While the crowds had been smaller the area had been littered with various decorations and railings the divided the small clearing, making it that much harder for the non-athletic librarian to catch up with the duo.

Jumping over a bench the normally timid librarian hoped that her legs would hold up. Lacking the physical training routines that many of her classmates had she was still surprisingly fit.

"I think I need to leave a reminder to everyone about the perils of idiocy and stupidity."

"No!" Defiant to the end he pulled himself to his feet.

"What's your name?" Nodoka shouted, pointing her hand at Fate.

With the mousy girl's sudden but not completely unexpected arrival Fate changed his target, blasting the girl with a fully charged petrifaction spell.

Eyes wide, Nodoka simply stood there, unable to dodge the powerful spell. Feeling a strong hand pushing her aside she watched as her book and her savior were hit with the spell.

Suddenly several blades crashed into the commons; crushing if not cutting through several tables and chairs as they dug into the solid ground.

"Hello," Jack waved as he appeared beside a still humanly soft Asuna. Despite having her clothes petrified, the energetic carrot-top appeared none the worse for wear.

Glancing around him, the white haired youth spotted several others slowly encircling him.

"I guess this is it for now," he sighed.

Dodging the shower of blades that closed in on his position the white haired youth vanished. "Till next time," his voice called out. "Make sure you're ready though."

*****

In all of Ku Fei's short life the young martial artist never truly feared for her life as she did against the psychotic girl. As an Amazon from the satellite village in Taiwan Ku Fei had never experienced a loss until her fight with Mana, and then it was clear that the mercenary girl had many more years of experience on her, not to mention that she wasn't fighting for her life. Even after all her training with the other Mahora girls and Ala Alba, and her more extensive training with Chachamaru and Akira, the martial artist knew that her skills were inadequate against the swift blades of her opponent.

Even with the gynoid's help the two had been sorely pressed by the skilled sword welding girl. Limited their attacks to straight martial arts, the girls had hoped to take advantage of their numbers, but found that the bi-speckled girl easily matched their combined efforts and even forced them to take the defensive.

Grabbing hold of her torn shirt Ku Fei ripped a strip off then quickly strengthened it with ki, barely managing to deflect what would have been a killing blow while losing half of her ki enhanced weapon. Receiving a kick to the face as her reward for escaping death Ku Fei watched as one of the psycho's blades swiftly descended only to be knocked away by a sudden and unexpected blast of focused ki.

Startled, but grateful for the save the young Amazon lashed out with a sweep which her opponent easily leaped over. Still, the attack had forced the armed girl to disengage as she considered her new opponent. Scanning the startled crowd (who hadn't called the authorities due to the fact that the fight had thus far not involved any property destruction beyond a few tables and chairs), searching for the new threat.

Getting to her feet Ku Fei exchanged a knowing glance with Chachamaru. From their few mornings of training Akira together the duo had managed to adapt their styles to work together very well, but even they had been pressed by their opponent. Seeing that the gynoid maintained her bladed arms it was clear that the surprise attack had not come from her.

Watching the fight unfold Ranko had been reluctant to reveal herself as she tried to measure Ku Fei and Chachamaru's growth as fighters. While both had clearly learned to work in tandem since her time with them, they were clearly outmatched by the psycho and her blades. Shaking her head she waited for Ku Fei to try and level the field with some weapons as it was clear that the foreign martial artist couldn't keep up or deal with the deadly blades of her opponent. Unable to get a clear gage of the blade welding girl's abilities, and seeing that Ku Fei and Chachamaru were clearly out of their league, Ranko stepped in.

Still using the Umisenken, she fired off an Iaiken barrage. Deflecting the killing blow and knocking the girl off balance, Ranko waited for one of the three combatants to notice her. Well, she was using the Umisenken, but still, Chachamaru should have noticed her, right?

Watching as a short, busty redhead appeared and engaged the sword and knife welding girl, Ranko shook her head. _ I wasn't that busty back then, was I? I know I looked good, but that's just ridiculous. _ Scanning the crowd she looked for the tell tale signs of Haruna. _ I'm definitely going to have to set her straight_… Envisioning tying the manga-ka up, Ranko suppressed her misplaced thoughts as she fought valiantly to purge herself of her impure thoughts.

Focusing her attention to the fight Ranko couldn't help but be impressed by the fake, well, her. Though the animate drawing was very realistic Ranko could see that it was struggling to keep up with the psycho girl (_wow, I never thought I'd meet a psychotic girl martial artist who wasn't from or around Nerima_). While the golem was almost as unpredictable as the real thing, it was clear to the skilled martial artist of Ranko's caliber that Haruna's lack of true skill in the arts was the source of the golem's erratic style.

If not for the assistance from Ku Fei and Chachamaru, Ranko was sure that Haruna's drawing wouldn't have lasted. Instead he watched as the three of them managed to force the girl back as she assumed a defensive posture. Watching the unpredictable redheaded golem it was clear that the crazy girl was planning to leave an opening for Ku Fei and Chachamaru so that she could land a counter attack on the foreign martial artist. Seeing the girl make her move Ranko countered, hitting the golem with a sudden ki blast with the Iaiken, knocking the fake Ranko into Ku Fei and propelling the martial artist (the real one) out of harms way while destroying the golem.

Disengaging, the sword girl watched as one of her opponents was destroyed. Furious at being robbed of her kill the psycho nearly sprang at her remaining opponent, stopping only at the sudden appearance of her newest opponent.

"I've been waiting for you sempai," the psycho smiled. Gazing at the raven hanyo she licked her long blade lovingly. "I was just getting warmed up. Now that you're here, I can really have some fun."

Waving off her classmates, Setsuna glared at the corrupted girl. Silently she rushed in.

The sound of blades clashing filled the small commons as the two swordswomen exchanged blows. To the casual fighter, or even an experienced fighter like Ku Fei, the fighters appeared to be equally matched. To a master like Ranko it was clear that Setsuna was at a disadvantage. Stuck in the stiff rigor of her style she failed to consider that her opponent was willing to simply wait for an opening to exploit. Though neither was untouched it was obvious to Ranko that the psycho's clothes had been cut merely because she had consciously left an opening so that she could counter attack or had rushed in when common sense would have dictated that she retreat but did so to exploit a hole in her opponent's defenses. The cuts in Setsuna's clothes in contrast screamed to Ranko that the other girl was toying with the raven hanyo. Gentle slices placed to strain the girl's clothing, proof that she could expose the other girl's weakness and show just who the better fighter was.

Watching as Setsuna lashed out, overextending herself, Ranko knew that the fight was over. Rushing in just as the white haired girl trapped the hanyo's blade then broke it Ranko unleashed a steady barrage of Iaiken blasts, knocking the girl back and forcing her to disengage.

Smirking, the girl eyed Ranko before turning her attention back to Setsuna. "You'll never beat me," she declared. Stepping into the shadows she laughed, "Next time I will break you, and I'll truly enjoy doing so."

*****

"That's not good," Jack stated as he helped Negi back to his feet. "All that training and you still got your ass handed to you - guess you need some more training."

"Um, what's going on here?" a new voice asked.

"Asuna!" Akira shouted as she ran over to the girl in stone clothing. "What happened?"

"She pushed me out of the way," Nodoka explained. "She got hit with a petrifaction spell."

Looking at the girl, the fanged wild boy tilted his head, trying to get another view of the girl. "Really? Then isn't she a statue?"

"She's naturally immune to most magic," the librarian explained.

"She is?" the bandana wearing young man asked. "What's so great about that?"

Losing his grip on Negi, Jack blinked at the stupid fanged kid. "This is the magic world; almost everyone uses some kind of magic."

"So?"

"So that means that most people use magic when they fight," Negi answered as the young mage pulled himself up to his feet. "If she's immune to magic she doesn't suffer the effects of any offensive magic and can simply negate defensive magic."

"Oh, I see," Ryoga finally admitted, though he really didn't.

"We should probably get out of here," Jack stated as he helped Negi back to his feet. "You good?"

"Yeah, I just need to master the technique," the young mage replied. "What do we do about Asuna?"

"I'm alright," the flustered girl admitted. "I didn't think this cloak and extra clothes would be so bothersome. Then again, I didn't expect to have them turned to stone."

"Here," Ryoga said, walking over to her. Spotting the breaking point the lost boy gently tapped it, shattering her clothes and leaving her completely naked.

Seeing a completely nude girl before him, the naïve youth blinked. With a spray of nasal blood propelling him backwards like a rocket, Ryoga collapsed, unable to deal with the sudden loss of blood.

Shaking his head Jack smiled as Akira gave the carrot top a cloak. "We really should get going, the authorities are closing in."

"What do we do about him?" Nodoka asked, picking up her stone diary.

"Who is he?" Negi questioned.

"Hibiki-san saved us," Ako replied.

"But he's too big for us to carry back without people noticing," Asuna stated.

"Well," Akira interrupted. Grabbing a cup of water left on one of the tables she splashed the unconscious lost boy. Looking at the now unconscious black piglet with a bloody nose she fought the urge not to laugh as she picked him up. "Now he isn't."

*****

A/N

Here are the results from my last poll. I'll have a new one up by the time this chapter is posted or soon afterwards.

Setsuna (11), Kaede (9), Asuna (7), with Akira and Konoka tied (5) (Woohoo! Akira closed the gap and managed to tie!), Haruna (3), and Takane (1).

New Poll Question - Which Mahora girls would best be suited for Ryoga?

Yes, Ryoga will be a reoccurring character. I realize that I had previously stated that I didn't want to use any of the other Nerima characters but I felt that Ryoga works, especially here.

Please read and review, and vote!!

Dreamingfox


	24. Chapter 24

Author's Notes –

Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed. I really enjoy writing this fic and receiving all your encouragement and support. I'm glad there are people that enjoy it.

As always, thanks to my betas – Teturo, KitsuneOverlord, Lance, and Kamen Rider Den-O.

Obviously I don't own either Ranma ½ or Negima. If I did I wouldn't be doing fan-fiction.

*****

The gentle buzz of the half filled Urborg was loud enough that the large group could hear the nose in their suite. Just to be safe, Negi couldn't help but put up several wards to keep anyone from listening in magically.

Casually standing amid the bevy of beautiful young girls Rakan tried his best to repress his stupid grin (valiant effort, but alas, it was all in vain).

"Ranma," the young mage whispered, pulling the older fighter over to him, "could you keep the other girls occupied?"

Nodding, the cursed youth knew what she had to do. Grabbing the now conscious and squirming black piglet the cursed martial artist exited the room, closing the door behind her and sealing it to prevent anyone from listening in. Grabbing some warm water on her way out, she poured it over herself and P-Chan.

"Ranma you bastard," Ryoga shouted instinctively.

Held up in the air, it dawned on the lost boy that his rival had seriously changed. Blinking he tried to put his finger on what exactly had changed about Ranma.

"Dude, put some clothes on," Ranma instructed. Reaching into stuff space he pulled out a spare change of clothes.

Growling the fanged boy did exactly that. While it was embarrassing to be indebted to his rival, it was another thing all together to be seen naked by all those girls.

Pulling on the spare clothes the lost boy finally realized what it was about Ranma that had changed. While the two rivals had nearly always been the same height (in their true forms at least), it was clear that now Ranma had a distinct height advantage in both forms.

"When did you get so tall?" Ryoga asked dejectedly, looking up at the nearly 190cm tall youth.

The long cuffs on the pants lay on the floor, easily covering Ryoga's strong legs. The baggy shirt appeared to be several centimeters too long, hanging down past the fanged boy's waist but fortunately the short sleeves were just a few centimeters long but did not appear to be out of place.

"Sorry about that," Ranma apologized, looking at the slightly disheveled appearance of his long-time rival. "I guess the girls forgot to bring your stuff. Though it's no surprise really, your pack weighs a ton."

"Hey-…" the bandana wearing youth shouted. Thinking about it, he really didn't have anything to complain about. His traveling pack and umbrella really was pretty heavy. Even serious martial artists didn't train with that much weight; much less lug it around virtually everywhere. "I guess you're right."

Leading the lost boy into the adjoining suite the gender cursed youth shrugged. "So how'd you get here? I mean, I know you're famous for getting lost, but traveling between worlds is… well, weird even for Nerima."

Chuckling, Ryoga tried to figure out just how he had ended up in this so called 'magic world' and what had lead him to finding Ranma again. "I think it started with some little blond girl finding me," he explained. "After that it just got weird."

"Nerima weird or weird-weird?" Ranma asked for clarification.

"Nerima weird at first," the fanged boy answered. "You know - bath house stuff. Then the little blond girl"

"Evangeline," Ranma interrupted.

"Yeah, Evangeline," Ryoga corrected, "she suggested that I start training seriously if I wanted to catch up to you."

Catching the glance that his rival threw him Ryoga shrugged. "I can't believe how powerful such a little girl like that is."

"You do know she's a vampire, right?"

Nodding Ryoga sighed. "Don't vampires like turn to dust in the sunlight?"

"Normally," Ranma replied. "She's not normal."

"Nothing we're involved with is normal," the lost boy chuckled.

It was strange. Looking at Ranma as he was now, Ryoga couldn't help but notice that his rival had done more then just physically change. Something about how he held himself and seemed more relaxed in general, not just being casual about everything, but honestly relaxed, was… well, strange.

"You've changed," Ryoga stated.

"Yeah," Ranma admitted. "I got taller and stronger."

"Not like that you bastard!" Feeling as though he was just being brushed off again the fanged boy lashed out, throwing a powerful punch at the taller youth only to have it casually caught in Ranma's palm.

"Ranma?" the tall raven haired girl said, breaking up the scene.

_Ranma? She's calling him by name? Not even being formal with him? _Slowly (and some what incorrectly) Ryoga was putting things together. _He's cheating on Akane! That bastard doesn't know how good he has it with Akane and he's cheating on her with… with her!_

As the most observant person of the group Akira could tell what the lost boy was thinking. Having listened to all of Ranma's tales of his many misadventures (many of which included Ryoga) the swimmer had a set impression of the lost boy. Seeing his temper flare before (even though Ranma had quickly defused the situation), she was clearly expecting the worst from him in their present situation.

"Hibiki-san," she said clearly, trying to deflect his attention.

"Look Ryoga," Ranma said, moving to protect Akira if anything did happen between him and his rival. Gently putting his hand on the now smaller Ryoga's shoulder he looked his rival in the eyes. "When we get back to Nerima I'm going to tell the old geezers that I'm calling off the engagements. I know that you like Akane, and I'm pretty sure she likes you too," he admitted, though only loud enough for the two to clearly hear. "I'm no longer going to stand in your way if you really feel that way about her."

To say that Ryoga was shocked would have been putting it mildly. It was as though an incredible weight (something he was very used to) had been removed from his straining shoulders. "Really?"

Ranma's admission that he'd given up on Akane was… unbelievable. Though the gender changing bastard had been known to resort to trickery and outright lying to fool him (which wasn't hard to do), Ryoga couldn't help but think that for once Ranma was being completely honest.

Not sure about what was happening between the two rivals, Akira simply watched as the scene unfolded. From what she'd heard of their misadventures in Nerima the swimmer had expected them to destroy the Urborg inadvertently while starting up some senseless fight.

With little else to do other then talk about the fight that some of them had seen earlier that morning the remaining Mahora girls watched as the new arrival and the tall demonically influenced Nephalim exchanged some odd banter. Focused on the strange interaction between the two weird young men, the girls simply found themselves slowly creeping closer and closer to the pair so that they could listen in on their conversation.

"Ranma," Ryoga said, calling out his rival. But how to put it? "You and me, now; I need to see how far we've both come."

Astonished and surprised by the unusual display of tact by the lost boy, Ranma blinked. "Sure," he finally replied. "Akira, could you check with Purraj to see if there's a place where we can spar?"

More then a little surprised herself, the swimmer nodded. "There's the place where we practice every morning," she suggested.

Watching as the pair exchanged looks before finally agreeing to be lead to the practice area, Akira hoped that Purraj had reinforced the area. Given the tales that Ranma had told her of the Nerima Wrecking Crew destroying mountains, buildings, and whatnot, the lithe swimmer wasn't sure that there was anything that could stop their destructive tendencies, merely hope to contain it.

With the crowd of girls behind her, Akira watched as Ranma and Ryoga renewed their rivalry.

Taking the initiative Ryoga charged in - throwing a feint with his right before following up with is left. Clearly anticipating the straightforward bum rush that his main rival employed, Ranma nimbly evaded the attacks. After a few minutes of dodging the now-quicker-but-still-not-as-fast-as-me attacks from his rival, Ranma finally decided to go on the offensive. Exposing Ryoga's technically weak defenses, Ranma slipped under a powerful uppercut, countering the attack with an equally powerful yet quick kick to the stomach.

Doubled over by the sudden counter attack, Ryoga gasped for air. Clearly shocked at the remarkable power that his rival had developed in a matter of weeks, the fanged youth slowly straightened himself.

Unable to keep up with the blinding speed of Ryoga's punches or with Ranma's impossibly fast counter, they had simply watched the two young men's blurry forms as they danced around the practice area. The fight apparently over, the girls weren't sure what to make of, well, everything. How had Ranma managed to avoid such powerful and quick attacks, and why was Ryoga doubled over in pain?

"You've gotten faster," Ranma admitted. "Your hand speed isn't close to mine, but you're roughly as fast as I was when I left Nerima."

"Damn you," Ryoga squeaked out. "When did you get this powerful?"

"Long story," Ranma replied. Thinking of a good analogy, he patted his rival on the shoulder. "It's like you're running on gasoline and I'm running on rocket fuel."

"Huh?"

"Wait," Ranma interjected. "That's not right. What I meant to say is that you're driving a car and I'm riding a rocket. Well, maybe you're a tank and I'm a rocket."

"Huh?"

"The point is that I've moved up in class, you've merely upgraded to a stronger and faster tank," the gender cursed youth explained.

"Damn!" the lost boy cursed. "Eva was hoping that I would be much closer to your level."

Confused by his rival's train of thought, Ranma closed an eye as he considered everything. "So Eva sent you here?"

"Yeah," Ryoga admitted. "She beat me pretty bad and then had me train for like a month at her resort. I don't know what she did, but she gave me this" pointing to the compass around his neck "and a magical necklace so that I won't lose it. As long as I have this I can get to whatever it is I'm looking for."

_That explains why he's faster and a bit stronger, but not how he got here_, Ranma thought to himself. "Guess you were focused on increasing your speed."

"Strength training actually," the fanged youth replied. "And increasing my ki reserves."

"I guess that's what we're going to have to do for now," the gender changing youth suggested. "Learn to fight without your ki, push yourself to improve physically without relying on ki enhancements. Doing that should help your body to become stronger by itself so that when you add ki to your attacks you should be faster and stronger."

*****

Having watched the short film presentation of his father's exploits (from Jack's point of view of course) Negi couldn't help but think that there was more to their situation with Fate then the legendary fighter was willing to admit. Despite his (and his companions') best efforts Negi had been unable to pry any more information out of his father's rival.

"It's clear that Fate, or whatever his real name is, doesn't care that we know the rough outline to his plans," Chisame stated. "But just what are they up to?"

"They're out to destroy the world," Jack replied grimly.

"How?" Negi inquired.

"Not sure," the scarred warrior answered.

Frustrated that they had discovered only so much about the mysterious Fate and his ultimate goals, the young mage sighed. "We'll just have to focus on what we know for now."

"And that is what exactly?" Kazumi asked. Usually the most observant of the group the class reporter seemed to be slightly distracted.

"Whatever he has put into motion, he has to wait until the last day of the festival so that he can complete it," Chachamaru explained.

"Which means that we have nine days to prepare ourselves," Konoka stated.

"Not to mention that we still have to find the lost Ostian Portal," Kaede added.

"And find Yue," Nodoka interjected, objecting that the others had overlooked that fact.

Nodding grimly, Negi took a deep breath. _ Nine days_…

*****

With the Ala Alba meeting over Konoka quickly sought out Ranma. Observing her dear friend's mood following her loss to the rogue Shinmei Ryuu swordswoman Tsukuyomi, it was clear to the healer that Setsuna had taken the loss poorly.

"So you really turn into a piglet?" Yuna giggled as she teased the lost boy.

Ryoga smiled, flashing his fangs as he chuckled nervously. "Yeah," he admitted, reluctant to admit to the girl that he was cursed.

"They know about magic moron," Ranma whispered so that only his rival could hear him. "She obviously doesn't care about the curse."

Unsure about what to do, the lost boy resorted to the only thing he did know; namely lashing out at his nemesis and rival. "Shut up Ranma!" he bellowed as he threw a wild left hook, only to have Ranma counter with a swift kick to the face, stopping him dead in this tracks.

"Knock it off Ryoga," the gender changing youth replied. "You're making yourself look bad in front of the girls." Removing his foot (and revealing the footprint on Ryoga's face) he leaned down to the shorter youth. "I think Yuna likes you," he whispered.

"Ranma?" Konoka interrupted.

"Oh, hey Konoka," he returned as he spotted the group's healer. "The meeting over already?"

"Yeah," she replied. "Could I talk to you quickly?"

"Sure."

Heedless of the stares and looks, Ranma allowed Konoka to take his hand and lead him away. Alone and away from the rest of the crowd, the young man eyed the group's den mother. Sitting down so that they would closer to eye level, Ranma consciously checked to make sure that he wasn't secreting any pheromones.

"What's up?" he asked, unsure what to make of her sudden request for privacy as she sat next to him.

With a sigh Konoka gave into the fact that she was throwing a way a perfectly good chance to go out with the older youth. Still, her devotion to her friend came first. Besides, with the rules that they had all agreed to Ranma would eventually take each of them out on a date.

"I want you to take Setsuna on a date."

Floored (literally) by the sudden and unexpected request the pigtailed martial artist found himself pulling himself back into his seat. "Wh-what? Why?"

"Well, you like her, right?"

"Um, well, yeah," he muttered. Scratching his head he averted his eyes.

"You saw her fight with Tsukuyomi, right?"

Nodding, Ranma slowly picked up on Konoka's reasoning. Firming his resolve the cursed martial artist took several deep, calming breaths.

"Thanks." Standing up she smiled. Catching Ranma off guard she leaned in, stealing a teasingly quick kiss before retreating. Dazed by the unexpected stolen kiss, Ranma simply sat there until Konoka called out to him, "She's in the practice area."

Nodding Ranma got to his feet, slowly laying out what he needed to do. Creating a feather clone, he sent Duce off. Having set things up, he made his way towards the practice area. Finding the normally steady Setsuna in her atypical unsettled mood, Ranma picked the small girl up. Lifting her to his chest he carried her out of the stunned crowd of girls.

"Wha-what are you doing?" she gasped.

"We're going to get you a new sword," Ranma stated. "And maybe get some brunch or lunch while we're at it."

"Put me down! I can walk on my own you know," she cried out. Though she could get around on her own, she couldn't help but think that it felt really nice to be this close to him.

Despite the petite swordswoman's protests Ranma refused to set Setsuna down until they reached the door separating the suites from the tavern. "I know you can, but obviously you can't get over losing to that psycho girl, so I'm going to help you."

"I'm not dressed go to out," she stated defiantly.

Looking her over Ranma had to admit that she was right. Wearing her biker shorts (and probably nothing underneath) and a tattered sports bra, Ranma couldn't help but recall that she'd had the rest of her clothes shredded at the hands of the insane psychopath.

"Do you still have the feather I gave you?" he asked.

Shaking her head, Ranma figured that perhaps it was destroyed in the fight. Reaching into stuff space the cursed youth pulled out another feather. Focusing his ki into the feather, he molded it to meet his needs.

"Here," he said, handing the feather to her. "This should keep anyone from caring about what you're wearing."

"But I'll know," she replied.

"We'll stop and get you some new clothes," he countered.

"But y-you know and see me as I am," she grumbled.

"So?" he replied. "It's not like I haven't seen girls naked before."

Setsuna blushed at his admission. _He is older then us, and he has had plenty of experience with all his fiancés chasing him_… Envisioning him with rough caricatures of his fiancés she shook her head, blushing even more. _Wait, no, he probably means that he's seen himself naked before…_ Seeing a naked Ranko in her mind's eye she blushed even more. Feeling a slight trickle of blood from her nose the normally steady swords woman stumbled into the taller Ranma.

"You're sure you're alright?" the cursed young man asked, putting his hand to her hot forehead. Leaning closer Ranma once again lifted her up before setting her down onto a nearby chair. "Adeat!"

Running his hand over the succubae's kissing techniques he waited for the knowledge to sink in before turning back to the lithe swordswoman. Leaning in he gently kissed her, forcing his healing magic into her.

Savoring the feel of his lips against hers, Setsuna felt the world spin as more blood rushed to her head. Reluctantly she allowed him to pull back and break the kiss.

"Abeat!" he cried out, dismissing his artifact. "I guess your fever's gone down a bit." Removing his hand from her forehead he looked at her quizzically. "Maybe you should rest a bit."

Shaking her head she forced herself to her feet. "I'm alright." Clearing her mind of the inappropriate thoughts and visions of Ranma, she took a deep relaxing breath. "I just need to eat something."

Skeptical, but not wanting to dispute her claims, Ranma nodded. "There's this great little café that I passed by this morning. I wanted to check it out but with everything that when on this morning…"

Flashing a weak smile Setsuna nodded.

The smell of freshly baked breads and cakes drifted through the air, masking the scent of crowds and the city. Unused to taking a round about path (compared to the normal straight path allowed him as he leapt from roof top to roof top), Ranma and Setsuna strolled through the streets.

"Don't," Ranma hissed, snatching Setsuna's hands away from her tattered sports bra, "you're only going to draw more attention to it, and eventually someone will see through the glamour."

A sudden chill passed over him as he held onto the smaller girl's hand with his own. Feeling the cold ice shavings from a random passerby's drink Ranma willed her hair to remain black and repressed her wings so as not to attract any unwanted attention.

"Oops, sorry ma'am," a large dolphin looking beast man replied, realizing that he'd spilled his drink on the taller of the two human girls. At nearly three meters in height the smooth, grey skinned being towered over even the relatively tall female Ranma. "I guess I bought more then I could handle," he chuckled.

Not wanting to start a fight, especially since things like this happened all the time, Ranko smiled pleasantly. "No problem, it happens all the time."

Grabbing a towel out of stuff space Ranma quickly dried herself off.

"No matter how many times I see it I can never truly believe what I'm seeing," Setsuna stated as she patted Ranma's back dry.

"Maybe we should get some clothes first," Ranma suggested, wringing out the wet towels before putting them back into stuff space.

The warm mid-day sun shone overhead as the pair wove between several different districts before finally finding a clothes shop at suited their fashion sense. Looking through the piles of clothes Ranma pulled out several backless shirts, both for her and for the smaller Setsuna.

"What?" Setsuna questioned, eying the small pile of shirts. "Some of these are too big for me."

"Those aren't for you," Ranma explained. "I need a few more shirts too, just in case."

Grabbing several outfits the smaller girl retreated to the changing rooms. Stripping completely she stood before the mirror before slipping into a dark blue outfit. Making sure that everything was in place the swordswoman opened the door and hopped out only to freeze as the sight that greeted her. Eyes wide, she stood speechless as Ranma casually threw a shirt to the side. Topless, the taller girl was clearly having a harder time getting in and out of her shirts. Not wanting to draw any more attention to them or to Ranma's state of undress, the swordswoman quickly pulled her companion into the dressing room.

"What do you think you're doing?" Setsuna hissed. "Have you no shame?"

Blinking, Ranma shook her head. "Nope," she answered honestly. "No feminine modesty either." With her bare breasts exposed Ranma turned to regard herself in the mirror, accentuating point. "Damn, I didn't realize it back in the jungle, or on the Predator, but I think I'm gone up a cup size, maybe two." Turning so that she could check out her profile Ranma cupped her full breasts. "What do you think? I'm an E-cup at least, right?"

Blushing at the display (and at the naked flesh before her) Setsuna nodded reluctantly. "Try this one on," she ordered, trying to deflect the question and force Ranma to clover her exposed breasts. Finding the right size for her the blushing swordswoman quickly fled the cramped changing room.

Minutes later the busty martial artist emerged from the changing room with several different shirts. With their purchases paid for and safely stored in stuff space Ranma and Setsuna headed off towards the markets.

Hungry, unable to find the initial café, and held in rapture of the tantalizing scent of sweetly marinated meats, the gender changing youth lead his date to a different café. Mindful that he was not alone, the cursed youth valiantly controlled his immense and insatiable hunger.

"Is the food that bad?" Setsuna asked, noting the odd eating behavior of her companion.

"Um, no," she replied, "very good actually." Smiling at her date the cursed gender swapping youth carefully picked up a long slice of the chewy meat that was the basis of the dish. Light and rubbery, the unusual food meat was cut into portions much like noodles and served in a delicious broth, reminiscent of soba and udon noodles.

Returning her date's smile, the swordswoman casually sampled the exotic fare.

"You're pretty cute when you smile," Ranma noted casually.

*****

Darkness claimed Ostia as one of the uninhabited floating islands blocked out the afternoon sun. Idly strolling through the half crowded streets, the pair watched as several shops and pubs lit their lanterns, announcing that they were open for the evening's business. Winding through the streets of the markets they leisurely made their way back to the Urborg.

Using the growing darkness as cover Ranma and Setsuna snuck past the others. Finding themselves before the door to the girls' suite Ranma smiled down at his date.

"I had fun today," Setsuna admitted, returning the carefree youth's smile.

"I did too," the cursed youth replied. Leaning down she gently kissed the smaller girl.

The sound of meek coughing disrupted their tender moment, announcing the presence of another (male) Ranma.

"Sorry," he apologized. Pulling out a small bundle Duce (the Ranma clone) handed it to the original (female) Ranma before dispelling and vanishing.

"I almost forgot about this," Ranma (the real one) stated. "This is for you."

Reluctantly accepting the package Setsuna eyed Ranma, not sure what to make of everything. Opening the package she pulled out Ranma's gifts. "A shirt?" she questioned.

"Oh, that reminds me," the taller woman replied, pulling out their purchases from stuff space. "Here are the shirts we picked up earlier."

Still holding up the gift, Setsuna eyed Ranma.

"It's actually armor," Ranma explained. "Silk from silkworms that were fed leafs from mulberry plants that were planted on soil rich with arenak; don't ask, I'm just glad that I'm not the one footing the bill for it. They say that the Mongolians invaded China wearing only silk armor. The silk withstood arrows and blades alike, and even though arrows pierced the skin of the warriors the silk was uncut. Basically it kept them from receiving internal injuries. I'm not sure if this silk is that good, but it's supposed to be the best."

Awed by the unusual but wonderful gift, Setsuna bowed. Pulling out two long blades from the package the swordswoman gasped as she unsheathed the first one.

"An arenak blade," Ranma explained, noting the bronze sheen of the weapon. "The seals on the side are Nephalim in origin – they should enhance the durability and sharpness."

Sheathing the blade she quickly pulled out its twin.

"Your old blade," Ranma stated. "It took me a while to find someone who was willing to repair it. I also used it as a guideline for the arenak blade."

Setting her blades aside the swordswoman hugged Ranma, feeling the taller woman's breasts pressed against hers she quickly pulled back, blushing. "Two blades?" she asked, deflecting attention from her slightly flush face.

"Each is best for different situations," Ranma replied. "In case you're ever disarmed, the seals on the sheath will help you find them."

Nodding, she returned sheathed the blade. "Thanks," she muttered.

Giving her a parting kiss, Ranma smiled. "I'll see you in the morning."

Slipping into the darkness of the unlit hallway Ranma quickly and silently snuck into the baths. Seeing that the sign was marked "Male" she slipped in. Stripping down Ranma tossed her dirty clothes to the side.

Hearing several bodies hitting the surface of the water Ranma looked up. Seeing the now unconscious forms of Kotaro and Negi floating in the quickly reddening water, Ranma shook her head. Debating the merits of cannon-balling versus wading into the hot bath water, the young man turned woman shook her head and calmly dove into the pool.

Once again all male, Ranma stood up. Lifting the two torpid boys out of the water Ranma checked them over to make sure that they weren't seriously injured. Finding simple bumps on their heads (probably from panicking at the sight of a naked female Ranma before slipping on the wet stone and hitting their heads on the bottom of the bath or the stones) he lackadaisically propped them against the bench. Washing his dirty clothes before turning his attention to himself, Ranma made sure to use the waterproof soap.

Surprised at the lack of constitution Negi and Kotaro had, Ranma sighed as he left the bath. Smirking he switched the sign before heading back up to the suites.

"Oh, you're done already?" Ako asked.

Looking up the cursed youth smiled in greeting as he spotted the scarred girl and Natsumi. Recalling that the two girls had crushes on the two comatose boys (though technically it was on their older forms), the martial artist's smile broadened. "Yeah, I'm done. Just watch out for perverts and peeping toms," he advised, recalling where he had stashed the two boys.

Passing several other girls on his way up to the suite the cursed youth sighed in contentment. Today was a good day, he thought to himself as he approached the door to the suite.

"Ahem," a voice called out, bringing him out of his thoughts.

The unusual feeling of impending doom crept into the heir of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts. Cautiously turning around he chided himself for being surprised by the fact that several Mahora girls were standing in the hallway since their suite was across for the one he shared with Kotaro and Negi.

"It's a bit early for you to be turning in," Konoka stated.

Despite the difference in their height and martial arts skill, Ranma couldn't help but feel a bit intimidated as the unspoken den mother for the Mahora girls and five of the girls he'd kissed addressed him.

"Yeah," he replied, scratching his head as he tried to figure out what purpose the girls had in addressing him.

"Since there's still so a whole evening with nothing scheduled," the den mother smiled, "why don't you take one of us out on a date."

Impending doom was right – how could he pick one of the girls to take out on a date with the rest of them standing there?

"Don't worry, you can take the rest of us out eventually," Kaede added with a smirk.

"Before the end of the festival of course," Konoka interjected.

*****

A/N

I hope everyone liked this chapter. Yeah, I know I spoiled you all with those three chapters last week. Part of that was due to the fact that the site was down for the start of the week, and that gave me some time to write. Another part of that was because I've had an idea of what to do for a while and it all ended up coming out in those last few chapters.

As to Ranma's new found height – I refer to him as nearly two meters in height when he's roughly 190cm at best, because Ranma doesn't give an exact height as he can shift a bit due to his succubus/incubus ability to alter his appearance. Ranma going out in public as Ranma isn't too big a deal because of the change in height and appearance (from the feathers).

Reaction to Ryoga's appearance has been mixed, but hey, I needed him for his little scenes last chapter. I'll be using him some more too, but not as much as some of the Mahora girls. You'll just have to see what happens with him in the fic.

As to the dates, they're not going to go in any particular order aside from the fact that Setsuna won so she got the first date. It also happened to be a good plot point for the fic too. The remaining dates themselves will be done as a side fic, not with this fic.

Dreamingfox


	25. Chapter 25

Author's Notes

Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed Ranma's White Wings. I'm glad you all are enjoying it (and not suing me for using characters that I do not own or create, namely the cast from Negima and Ranma ½).

Thanks of course to my betas – Lance, Teturo, KitsuneOverlord, and Kamen Rider Den-O.

Don't expect Ryoga to get too much screen time, he is a set up character, not a primary character - though he will get his fair share of fighting in.

Yes, Ranma is the primary character in this fic, so if you don't like Ranma, this fic isn't for you.

Oh, and do check out _Dating the Seven Samurai_, my Ranma's White Wing's side fic. Yes, that side fic is a tad bit more lemon, but it's a series of dates, what do you expect? There is a reason why it's rated M too, and why I didn't include it with this fic. I don't want to have to bump up the rating of this fic just for a few chapters.

*****

In her short time around Ranma Nodoka had never really thought about the older boy (now young man) as anything other then a good and loyal companion. Even after Chisame and the others had initially convinced her to spy on the Seven Samurai and reading their individual thoughts about the cursed martial artist the mousy librarian had not changed her view of him. But having read the thoughts of the girls after they had returned from their dates with Ranma she knew she had to re-evaluate her views on him.

"Hey, what are you up to?" a familiar voice asked.

Slamming the book shut, Nodoka looked up at her friend. "Oh, nothing," she blushed.

Seeing her friend's tell the manga ka grinned wickedly. "Now I know you're lying!"

Exposed, but unwilling to let her friend discover the true nature of her spying, Nodoka quickly dispelled her artifact. "Abeat!" she cried out, running out of the room.

The startling turn of evens caught the normally unflappable Haruna by surprise. Watching as the normally quiet and reserved librarian dashed out of the room, the manga ka sat in stunned silence.

"Why does Nodoka look like she was being chased by a demon?" Misora asked as she walked into the lounge between the two suites.

*****

The cool late summer breeze passed through the courtyard, stirring the light flower petals and leaves as it crossed the yard. Undisturbed by the unusually strong morning winds that hinted of the coming rain storm, Ranma continued to kneel. Having mastered the basics of meditation during her decade long training trip with her father, the cursed youth had rarely ever found the time or need to actually meditate. With all the training, sparring, fighting, and trouble that his father had gotten him into (not to mention the stray cats that seemed to be attracted to him whenever he tried to meditate following the Neko Ken Training) the cursed martial artist realized just how out of practice she truly was in regards to being able to focus on his meditation.

Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on how you saw it) Ranma had managed to bring herself back up to par over the past few days. Years of repressing her male self's teenage hormones and working hard to maintain her self-control had essentially been undone after several dates (actually, one for each of the girls he'd managed to kiss since coming to the magical world) with the very attractive (and in some cases, very assertive and aggressive) Mahora girls.

Akira had been a true surprise, and the fact that she'd spent the past few mornings sparring and training her had not helped her maintain her self control. If not for the fact that she secretly shared a room with the swimmer's sensei (and that she shared a room with the rest of the Mahora girls), she was sure that she'd have tried to slip into her bed at over the past two nights. Ranma had also vowed to avoid eating or consuming any more alcohol on any of the other dates after their date had ended up in the park. It was also after her date with the lithe swimmer that she had taken up meditating again.

Haruna had proven to be more subdued. More interested in seeing her cosplaying as various anime/manga characters and using her recently developed ability to change her appearance, the manga-ka had made it known that though she was attracted to her (technically him as she had been a he at the time), she had realized that she was attracted more to the chaos in her life then to, well, her. Parting as friends, their short-lived relationship had proven that she could remain friends with a girl even after having had romantic feelings for them. Well, it had only two days, but still, it was a start.

Kazumi though had proven to be very aggressive. If the girl had purple hair and could fight, Ranma would have sworn that she was an Amazon. The sneaky class reporter was not as innocent (or inexperienced) as she let on, though that wasn't entirely bad either. Her aggressiveness had not been a surprise given that she had been the only girl to actually initiate a kiss with Ranma before. If not for the (un)timely arrival of the ghost girl Sayo, Ranma was sure that she would have made the front page of the school's newspaper, or tabloid at least. It was after that date that she had re-mastered the fundamentals of meditation.

Konoka had been another enjoyable date (though in truth, all the dates were enjoyable). Having never danced before it was oddly refreshing to spend the evening on the dance floor with the den mother of the group. If not for the incident with Hakkon and his harem the night might have lasted longer. Unfortunately given the issues between the cursed youth and the sibling of the five demons contained within her had brought an abrupt end to the carefree night of dancing.

The oldest of the girls, Takane had also appeared to be the most prudish in public, but in private the girl was anything but. Then again, she was the one that had made a habit of sneaking into Ranma's bed and curling up with her when they were in the jungle and on the_ Predator_. Able to teleport through the shadows the girl had proven to be the most resourceful in sneaking into his suite. Given that she wasn't one of Negi's students (or one of the girls Ranma had sworn to protect) their relationship had quickly become very physical. That was also the only date in which the cursed boy had not eaten anything.

The date with Kaede had been different and completely unexpected. Never a big fan of ping pong, or table tennis, the cursed martial artist had reluctantly agreed to play the magical world's version with the surprisingly skilled ninja girl. Playing the magical world's version of ping pong (substitute nunchucks for paddles and solid titanium balls for the light plastic ones though) and the game became much challenging, especially when you were working with the same sized table. Watching several teams playing, it was clear to the cursed boy turned girl that winning entailed more then just managing to avoid hitting your partner (though some players were trying to hit their partner) and hitting the other team with the ball (Ranma had fouled out of the first game for knocking out the titan of a beastman with a mean hit to the creature's reproductive organs (not all humanoids kept them in the same place)). Winning at nunchuck table tennis had been fun, but it was definitely not the highlight of their date, which ended with a bang (well, several bangs, and several severely dented pots, pans, and plate-mail).

But it was the final date with Asuna that had made her forget about all the other dates. The meal with the normally fiery carrot-top had been enjoyable as they traded friendly barbs and quips, but nothing outstanding or memorable like the other dates. If not for the good night kiss Ranma probably would not have thought that anything remarkable had happened during the whole evening.

It wasn't that the kiss was particularly good, or mind blowing, in fact, it was completely lacking. Accidentally slipping into her mind with his erratic telepathy the cursed youth found that Ranma couldn't actually read her thoughts, almost as though she hadn't been there.

With a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach (which wasn't due to the copious amount of exotic food he'd consumed) Ranma had decided to slip back into a meditative state. Creating another feather clone dubbed Quad (short for quadruple); she had sent the third clone to spy on the girls. Waiting for word from Quad that Asuna had gone to sleep, the cursed martial artist slowly prepared her mind and body. Feeling the sudden rush of information as Quad dissipated she blinked back the memories confirming that Asuna had fallen asleep.

Finding himself (because for some basic reason he always appeared in his male form in the dreamscape) in the foggy dreamscape the cursed boy quickly found his center.

"Ranma," the vampire called out in greeting, "what a rare surprise. I'd have thought you were getting it on with Asuna by now."

"It would be unbecoming of a 'man amongst men' to not please his women," Katia teased, joining in on the fun.

"I'm not here for fun," he stated, walking past the two as he examined the dream spheres that represented the dreamscapes of all the people he'd kissed. "Is anyone in Asuna's dreams?"

If not for the impatient tone that the normally relaxed and carefree Ranma had as he spoke the vampire would have taunted the youth for inquiring about the dreams of the girl he'd just been out on a date with.

"No," Katia replied. "No one's been in her dreams for three nights now."

Hand on his chin, the cursed martial artist examined the spheres again. "Three days; you're sure about that?"

"That is unusual," Lynx stated, finally realizing the significance. "Does she have a sleeping problem like yours?"

Shaking his head Ranma replied, "I don't need as much sleep with all the extra power in my reserves so I don't need to sleep as much, and meditating allows my mind to rest so I don't have to sleep as much. But she's asleep right now - one of the clones just informed me that she was asleep."

Several spheres floated through the air before him. Grabbing the newest one he tried to peer into it.

"What's this?" he asked, turning to the only succubus not presently in a dream.

"It's an empty dream, what we call a voided dream," Katia explained. An odd light gleamed in her eyes as she processed the information. "Did you kiss 'Asuna'?"

Ranma eyed his two companions, not sure what they were eluding. "Well, yeah. You know; a good night kiss at the end of the date."

Lynx and Katia quickly exchanged glances before looking at the sphere then back at Ranma.

"What? What do you know?" he asked.

"We don't know for sure," Lynx replied.

"But there is the possibility that the 'Asuna' you kissed isn't the real one," Katia finished. "I was thinking that it was a doppelganger of some sort. Something created to mimic her, even act like her, but without an actual soul or thoughts of its own."

"Have you tried to read her mind?" the vampire asked.

"Accidentally, yeah," Ranma admitted. "It was like looking into the mind of someone deep in meditation."

"Hmm…" the succubus hemmed. "Don't do anything stupid like confronting it. The doppelganger might be sending whoever sent it visual and audio transmissions as well as pretending to be Asuna."

Despite the fact that he didn't need to breath (it is the dreamscape after all), Ranma exhaled deeply. Contemplating his options he considered the information before him. Negi would definitely freak out and couldn't act worth a lick; Konoka was a good actress, but this was her closest friend so her reliability was a double edged sword; Setsuna might be able to help, but she wasn't as close to Asuna and might leak the information to Konoka; Kaede was usually aloof and great at spying, but the other girls might take that as a sign of rivals spying on each other to get an edge, which could work; Nodoka and her telepathy artifacts combo could be useful, and it would keep her from trying to spy on him; Chamo was fairly knowledgeable, usually discreet enough to keep things to himself, and he wasn't going off on with Negi to go train.

Hearing the splashing of water as the women bathed Ranma inhaled deeply, taking in the cool, comforting morning air. Opening her eyes she stretched her neck and back before standing up. An entire night of sitting in the lotus position as she meditated had not been kind to her normally constantly moving muscles leg muscles. Cracking her joints she stood up and enjoyed the view.

While much of the city of Ostia consisted of randomly built stone, clay, or brick buildings, the Urborg was different. Carved into the side of a sundered mountain, it offered several terraces and balconies on the back side of the building, offering a wonderful view of the ocean a kilometers below. The seven story building also had several balconies at the front of the building with a decent view of the city, though it was modest given that it overlooked the residential district rather then the busier and livelier markets or even the taverns. The third and fourth floors were for the many guests that stayed at the inn, with a large indoor bath on the northern end of the third floor. The fifth floor housed the live in staff of the Urborg, with most of the vacant guest rooms, reserved for prize fighters and their entourages, on the sixth floor. The twin suites also happened to be on the sixth floor. The seventh floor was home to the modest courtyard and open air baths. While each apartment had a small bathroom and shower, the open air baths were much more popular. Protected by the anti-scrying, anti-flying, and a multitude of other wards, the only way up to the seventh floor courtyard and baths was from the stairwells on the north and south sides of the courtyard (Ranma and Kaede had tried to sneak in, unfortunately they had failed several times, landing in the open kitchen on the ground floor).

Mind cleared of all distractions and focused on the day ahead he quickly shifted into a relaxed stance. After performing several katas his body felt much more relaxed and loose.

"Ranko," Purraj called out as the Pardic woman emerged from the bathhouse. "Don't forget that they'll be posting the brackets for the tournament this morning. I should have a copy by breakfast."

"Okay," she shouted back as she flipped through the air, lashing out with several Tae Kwon-do kicks as the women departed the courtyard. Kata complete, Ranma grabbed her water bottle to quench her thirst.

"Good morning Ranko," Chachamaru greeted, emerging from the south stairwell (which was closest to the suites). Behind the gynoid several other figures emerged as the Mahora girls arrived for their morning practice.

After an hour of trying not to let Kaede's bouncing breasts, (the fake) Asuna's cute buttocks (how could you recreate such a cute ass?), or imagining Akira naked was truly trying. Despite her best efforts of controlling herself she couldn't help but give in just a little to her teenage hormone infested body, still, they were only slight concessions, not a declaration of defeat. Not wanting to push the limits of the girls (only Setsuna, Kaede, Ku Fei and Chachamaru weren't novices after all) she dismissed them. Pulling her eyes off of the tantalizing sight of some of them leaving, Ranma focused on her other task at hand. _ Soul of Ice_, she thought to herself,_ Soul of Ice_. Performing several katas as the girls bathed, Ranma tried valiantly to remove the lingering visuals from her mind.

Firmly entrenched in the belief that a cold shower was what she needed Ranma retreated to the suite she shared with Kotaro and Negi (Kojirou and Nagi technically).

"Done already?" the dog hanyo asked as he spotted the older martial artist.

"For now," Ranma replied. "Purraj says that she'll have the posted brackets at breakfast. The girls are in the bathhouse."

Seeing the perverted look on the ermine's face, Ranma quickly grabbed hold of the young mage's familiar. "Sorry, I need to make sure he's not going to sneak in and peek on the girls," Ranma insisted as the youths headed up to the courtyard.

"I'm just…" seeing that neither boy cared to turn back for him, Chamo sighed.

With the need for some privacy, Ranma quickly created a feather clone. Sending Quinn (short for quintuplet) to seal the room and keep the girls and boys away from the room, Ranma set Chamo down before splashing herself with some warm water.

"This is way beyond keeping me away from the girls," the observant ermine stated.

"You're right," Ranma conceded. "I think Asuna's a fake, or doppelganger."

Clearly skeptical of the notion, the rodent eyed the martial artist. "What makes you think that?"

"You know that I've got five lust demons bound to me, right?"

Chamo nodded, "And you or the succubae can slip into the dreams of anyone you've kissed on the lips."

"Asuna hasn't been asleep for the past three days," Ranma stated. "It's more then just protecting her dreams and warding me or others from entering her dreams, she's simply not asleep, at least not normally."

"A spell induced sleep?" the ermine suggested. "Not likely, she's immune to magic."

"Magic, as in mana powered spells," the pigtailed martial artist pointed out, "but what if it was ki based?"

Chamo blinked, realizing the implications. "But can it be done?"

Ranma nodded. "I've learned that even though the mechanics are different, it can be done."

"We need to tell Negi."

"No, if we do, we risk letting whomever put the fake Asuna know that we're on to them. You know Negi's going to do something that'll tip them off, especially if the fake is broadcasting everything she sees and hears."

Relenting to the cursed martial artist's logic, Chamo nodded. "So what do we do?"

"I need you to keep an eye on Asuna."

Even in this situation the ermine wasn't sure if he should tell Ranma about the spying already going on. He had promised Chisame after all. He would have to bring it up to the others though, well, maybe just Chisame and Nodoka.

"Can you talk to Nodoka to see if she can pick up on the fake or the real Asuna with her artifact?" the gender changing youth asked, setting that idea for the ermine. "If she can get a read on either one then we might be able to find something out."

"What about your telepathy?"

"Limited at best, erratic at worst," he admitted. "I think I'll go have a talk with Jack though. Wish I could find him. Maybe I can convince Ryoga to help out too - the compass that Eva gave him might come in handy."

Blessed with a truly inspired idea, the ermine pulled out the panties he'd collected from his encounter with Fate's girls.

"Incoming," Quinn hissed before dispelling himself and his wards.

"I ain't going to wear those for you, you hear me?" Ranma muttered, pointing at the ermine. "And I don't want to hear about you stealing their panties either."

Chamo looked scandalized by the accusations. Stashing his prized possessions back in panty space (as he referred to it) he scowled at the gender changing youth. "This pair belongs to those cute girls that Fate sent after us! They're trophies of a well deserved victory!"

Dashing out of the cursed youth's reach the ermine quickly fled the room.

"Whose underwear did he steal this time?" Yuna asked patting her butt to make sure that the ermine hadn't stolen hers on his way out of the room.

*****

Strong winds and dark storm clouds hinted at the encroaching storm. Sighing, Haruna turned around, eying her mousy friend. Thinking about their encounter last night the manga ka couldn't help but think that Nodoka was up to something.

"Paru?" the mousy girl gently called out her name, snapping her out of her reverie.

"Hm?"

"Did you really break up with Ranma?"

Looking up at her friend, Haruna flashed a half hearted smile. "Sort of," she finally replied. "I like him and all, but I don't think that I'm up to the challenge of competing with all the other girls for him. I'm too young to try and find the guy that I'm going to marry."

Moving over to comfort her friend, Nodoka sat beside her.

"So if you're not going for him anymore, can you tell us about the agreement that you and the other girls made?" Chisame inquired.

Catching the glint in the internet idol's eyes Haruna smiled. "I can't tell you everything, but I can give you some idea of what they agreed to."

"Well, now they're only seven of them, officially," Chachamaru stated. "You can still go with the name 'Seven Samurai'."

Looking at each of the three girls the manga ka slowly realized the scope of their curiosity.

"We were debating between calling you the Seven Samurai, even though there were eight of you, or calling you the Hoshino Tigers," Misora interjected. "But you were short one player. Still, the baseball analogy seemed to fit considering all the bases that you all were getting."

Eyes wide in shock Haruna incidentally pushed Nodoka under the surface of the hot bath. "What?!" Seeing the plight of her flailing friend, she quickly pulled the mousy girl back up. "Sorry," she muttered.

"But since you've dropped out of contentions I vote for 'Seven Samurai'," the sneaky runner stated. "Still, the baseball analogies were good."

"I'd never had thought that Kaede would have hit a grand slam," Chachamaru stated, using the lingo of the conversation.

"I can't believe Akira got tagged out stealing home," Ako stated, not completely up to speed on the terminology or the conversation as she waded into their end of the bath. "I didn't think she played baseball. But to think she almost got a home run. I can see Kaede hitting a grand slam, even against Ranma's pitching, but who was on base at the time? I figured he'd be a better pitcher."

The short haired troublemaker fell over, falling into the waist deep water as she clutched her sides. Clearly not everyone was in on the spying, at least, not as deep as others.

* * * * *

Just as Purraj had said, the postings of the brackets for the Ostia Championship Tournament had arrived during breakfast.

"So, we're up against the team known as The Wicked Redeemers," Ranko stated as she looked up at the poster. _ Good, I get to settle a score right of the bat_.

"I wouldn't underestimate them," the stout Pardic advised. "They're one of the teams heavily favored to win the tournament. Especially after Crimson, the team founder, cashed in on that huge bounty on… what was his name?"

"Ranma Saotome," Irini supplied.

"Yes, Ranma Saotome," Purraj nodded. "Even though some of the other team members were injured on that job word was that Crimson recruited another member to stand in for them. I had thought that the tale were simply rumor, but seeing the postings I can't help but think that they might just might have what it takes to make it to the quarter final round – no offense to any of you."

Ranko nodded, not wanting to give off any hint that she was actually_ the_ Ranma Saotome.

"Raksha the Golden Fang is a legendary warrior, almost on par with the legendary mercenary Jack Rakan, and the original Nagi Springfield," the feline stated.

"But the clear favorites are the newly added Team Rakan," the dwarf stated. "Word is that the legendary fighter himself appeared and challenged all of Team Salazar, defeated them all, and claimed their invitation. As last years second place team they were heavily favored to make it to the championship round and even win it this year."

"The only weak link might be this Ryoga Hibiki," Purraj pointed out as she turned to Ranma. "You bested him the other day, right? But if he's a pupil of Rakan's then he'll be vastly improved by the time the tournament starts tomorrow."

"Just how good is Ryoga?" Kotaro/Kojirou asked.

Looking down at the two disguised youths Ranma shrugged. "He's a step and a half behind me, but if you can't keep up with me then you're in trouble."

Taking a few minutes to compare strengths and talk strategy Ranma knew that things were not going to be easy. Neither Negi nor Kotaro had the brute strength to hurt Ryoga, much less Rakan. And of course they couldn't look past Crimson and Raksha in the first round either. If the Golden Fang was almost on par with the legendary Rakan then the cursed youth knew that they were in for a fight.

"Sorry, I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got to meet someone," Ranma said as he got up.

"Another date?" Kotaro joked.

"What's that, haven't you had enough?" Purraj asked, joining in on the fun. "You've already had eight in three days; if you were a man you'd have run out of energy after the second day."

Blushing, Ranko caught the slightly dark look that the young mage cast in her direction. Even though Negi meant well for his students, it was clear that he had mixed feelings about Ranko dating so many of them at once.

"No date today," she replied honestly. Without saying anything more she quickly retreated, leaving the room before anyone else could get a word in edgewise.

Initially Ranma had resisted having to fight as Ranko. Though the gender cursed youth knew that it was safer for them all, there was apart of him that wanted to fight against the best competition as a guy. True, her angelic form had some benefits, but so to did the male form. Still, she had been entered as Ranko Tendo, so ultimately she had to compete as Ranko Tendo.

Strolling through the streets of Ostia the cursed martial artist made her way towards one of the lesser used commons. Seeing a few people pointing at her she knew without having to use her limited telepathy that they recognized her from the posters. Slipping around a corner she quickly changed her features, making her less recognizable to the casual observer.

Reaching the observatory deck Ranma signed. Early (or at least earlier than the other person) the now blond and pony-tailed young man easily made his way around the commons without attracting any undue attention. Catching sight of the tall, muscular warrior with is dark skin, Ranma waved.

"Hey!" gruff fighter greeted as he approached the ledge.

"Yo!" she returned.

Eying each other the two fighters nodded in acknowledgement before assuming a more relaxed stance.

"So you were Negi's old man's rival?" the young blond asked.

"And you're the insurance policy that Eva hired?" the older man deflected.

"Why did you suddenly enter the tournament?"

"To prove I'm the best."

"Even though you know that you might allow Fate a chance to destroy the world?"

"Ah," Jack replied, sitting down. "You know about that?"

Glaring at the man Ranma wondered just what kind of games the mercenary was playing.

"I need you to promise that you won't tell Negi anything that I tell you, unless I tell you that it's okay for you to tell him."

Silently the two fighters stared at each other. Finally, unwilling to budge on his stance Jack stood up, clearly ready to leave.

"Fate has Asuna," Ranma declared.

"Promise me you won't tell Negi anything."

"Fine!"

"Your word as a martial artist," Rakan insisted.

"My honor as a martial artist," Ranma repeated.

* * * * *

In his (having changed back prior to Jack sharing the story) entire life Ranma had never truly considered the long term effects and fall out of his many fights. Sure, Saffron had threatened to kill Akane and wanted revenge for what he, Mouse and Ryoga had done to him the god-ling; and he had leveled a mountain fighting Herb; but the scope and magnitude of Fate's plan was… was overwhelming. It was more then simply revenge, or conquering a kingdom or country; it was genocide.

But what had truly surprised him had been Jack's apparent apathy towards Fate's apparent plans. "And you're okay with this?"

"Of course I'm not," the mercenary replied. "But I already know my role in the grand scheme of things. I know that I can't defeat Fate, merely delay him; especially if he has the princess. And you, you're just another piece of the puzzle. You can help Negi beat Fate, or not, but as much as you want to be the one, that job is Negi's."

"But he can't beat me, much less you."

"Right now, no, but he's got a week to get stronger," Jack stated. "I've done all that I can for him, and so have you. Negi needs to win on his own – anything less then that and he fails. If he fails then it's all over."

Ranma shuddered. To think that the kid would eventually be that powerful, but that it all hinged on being able to pass the next hurdle and proving himself; it was just overwhelming.

A sudden and powerful punch to the jaw jarred him from his thoughts as it sent him sprawling across the commons. Picking himself up Ranma quickly leap into a defensive stance.

"Woops," Jack stated, scratching his head. "I didn't think you were that out if it." Extracting a mirror the mighty warrior held it up for Ranma. "That seal will keep you from accidentally spilling any thing."

Slowly the red seal faded, replaced with the clear markings of a hard punch. Feeling a tingling of odd energy flowing through his mind Ranma knew that the seal would prevent even the bonded demons from accidentally spilling the information.

"If the time comes and I'm not around, it falls on you to tell the kid the truth."

* * * * *

In all his years Szadeck had honestly not expected anyone to master so many Angelic scrolls. Then again, he'd never seen a true angel, and the few Nephalim he'd encountered were not close to being as powerful as the young hybrid Nephalim (he couldn't really call Ranma a Nephalim as the young man had been cursed to turn into an juvenile Nephalim and through sheer will and ability had undergone and survived the transition to adult Nephalim). Even the use of those ingenious feather clones had been pure brilliance, allowing the youth to master the remaining scrolls in the span of three days.

Still, with all that he had learned, the ancient vampire knew that the price could be more then the youth was able to bear.

"Done already," he asked, "Duce was it?"

"Um, yeah," the feather clone replied.

Wearing a copy of the original's backless shirt the redhead walked over, repeating the odd ritual. Standing tall Quinn pulled out her wings, letting the ancient vampire examine the strange markings appearing on her wings.

"My, my," the vampire exclaimed. _ Hunger and Restlessness already, Mirror isn't too bad, Lure could be bad though,_ Szadeck though as he listed the curses that the clones (Duce and Trip) had picked up for the Ranma (original), well, if they truly did carry over to the original. If they didn't, then the skilled martial artist truly had found away around the curses, if not, well, he really was a curse magnet.

*****

A/N

Not much to say this time. I'm still working on the side fic, so not much to say from my end.

The thing with the clones – the first clone is Duce, second is Trip, third is Quad, and fourth is Quinn. Ranma only makes four, but refers to himself as the original, so the first clone is the second Ranma, etc.

Please Read and Review!

Dreamingfox


	26. Chapter 26

Author's Notes –

Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed this fic. For those of you still reading it, I'm glad you're enjoying it and have stuck with it for so long.

As always, thanks to my faithful beta readers – Teturo, KitsuneOverlord, Lance, and Kamen Rider Den-O.

While this is a harem fic, Ranma will not be ending up with every girl in sight. As it is most of the girls are interested in one of the boys. Ranma has his harem; Negi has Nodoka, Yue, Ako, Makie, Chisame, and Anya (not to mention Ayaka and all the others back in Mahora); Kotaro has Natsumi and Mei; hell, even Ryoga has Yuna (and according to the mixed poll results Misora and Ku Fei). There are enough girls with a diverse enough interests that each of the few guys in the fic (except maybe Rakan) have more then enough girls, but don't expect each of them to start up their own harem.

As to Ranma appearing as Ranko – he tends to stay as Ranko at the Urborg and the close vicinity only because everyone there (staff, management, etc.) knows him as the female fighter on Team Negima. Once far enough away he tries to change back and might slip back into the Urborg in his male form, but under the cover/glamour to appear as Ranko.

Curse wise, Ranma had acquired Hunger and Restlessness during his first say in Szadeck's lair. Mirror and Lure, will still play a role, but not too great.

*****

Duce and Trip (the first and second clones, but the second and third versions of himself) had exceeded Ranma's expectations. Even though he knew he was smart (though not book smart as he tended to fall asleep in all of his classes save P.E.) he had not expected his clones to master the remaining seven scrolls. Though only three of the scrolls actually contained techniques and skills, two had merely been historical retellings of an unknown technique and how it had affected the Angels, and the last two had been theory and equations that had not been completed for use by Nephalim but could be used by Angels and other Celestial beings. Actually, each of historical and educational scrolls as he dubbed them had been useful, especially given the context of what he'd learned from Rakan.

Having spent the night processing the various thoughts and information that his two clones had gained, the cursed youth slowly integrated their knowledge. The mental fatigue of the two clones working basically day and night over the past three days had nearly incapacitated him, nearly.

Their information on his new curses (gained from his first expedition to the Nephalim Library in Szadeck's lair) had proven useful. Hunger, which he'd know about after nearly cleaning out the vampire's pantry, and Restlessness which explained his recent bout of insomnia, were both manageable curses, though they were inconvenient. Mirror sounded interesting though. And Lure, well, it sounded a lot like his current ability to find himself surrounded by fanatical girls and fiancés, though it now applied to wild animals and maybe demons.

Quickly standing up the cursed martial artist walked over to the closest mirror. Looking directly into the mirror he blinked. Though he had half expected the result, actually seeing the result was another thing altogether_. It's like I'm a vampire,_ he thought to himself as he eyed the mirror again_. No reflection at all, huh. I guess I'm going to have to rely on others to make sure that I look right_.

The sound of the clock tower chiming as it announced the hour broke the youth's reverie. Shaking his head Ranma extended his senses. Finding the barely noticeable aura of the spirit girl Sayo, the martial artist vanished in a blur of speed.

Since his reunion with the Ala Alba and Mahora girls the carefree youth had failed to notice that one of the girls had been trying to hang out with him more often (not a hard thing to do considering that he had gone on eight dates with eight different girls in the past three days). It wasn't until Sayo had interrupted his date with Kazumi that he'd once again realized he'd overlooked the lonely spirit.

At first he had thought that the ghost had simply been spying on her friend, or looking for her. It wasn't until he noticed how weak her aura was that the demon and angelic imbued youth realized why the ghost had been attracted to him. As the source of the greatest amount of spiritual energy in a world based on magic, Sayo had been drawn to the strongest source of spiritual energy.

"Oh!" the startled ghost exclaimed, startled by the sudden appearance of the cursed martial artist. Peering at him from around the vase that she'd hidden behind the ghost slowly emerged. "You scared me Ranma."

Scratching his head the martial artist considered the spirit. "Sorry about that," he apologized. Extracting several feathers from stuff space, he offered his hand to her.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, "I didn't realize how badly off you are here."

The blank look on the girl's face spoke much louder then the quiet ghost could. Clearly she hadn't grasped the situation she was in.

Pulling out a stuffed but unfinished doll out of his pack the cursed youth sat down.

"The reason why you're struggling so much here," Ranma began as he stabbed himself with one of the sharp feathers. Drawing blood he used it to place several seals on the doll. "You're a spiritual creature in a magical world. Spirit energy and magical energy don't mix well, and since you're here, you've been struggling to maintain your form. Even the totem you were using has run out of spiritual energy, that's why you've been trying to be around me all the time."

Sayo blinked trying to follow the young man's logic.

"I'm the only thing here that has a lot of spiritual energy," he explained. "That's why I'm probably the only one that can help you."

Completing the seals of the equation, he drew them onto the doll then quickly stuffed the remaining feathers into it before stitching it shut.

"Here, try this body," he suggested, offering her the totem.

Skeptical, and slightly afraid, the ghost gulped. Seeing that Ranma was genuinely trying to help her, Sayo nodded. She could feel the distinct aura emanating from the totem, similar but different to what the totem that Eva had given Kazumi had been when she first approached it. Sliding into the totem she felt a rush of power, unlike anything she'd experienced in… well… her entire afterlife.

Slowly her features began to reshape the golem as she adapted to her new body. Unlike the totem that Eva had provided her with Ranma's allowed her a more solid body, even filling out and growing to roughly match how she had appeared in life. The pale, frail body with long light blond hair slowly filled out even more, slowly blending features of her original ghost body with those of the source of the feathers. Blond and red combined into a dark strawberry blond.

Unused to having an actual body (even after her time in the golem totem) Sayo fell forward, collapsing into Ranma's strong arms. "ECH!" she yelped, hitting his muscled chest with her head.

Hearing a commotion in the lounge the assembled girls quickly came out to see what was going on. Seeing Ranma holding a strange girl (though she did appear slightly familiar for some reason) several Mahora girls began shouting, demanding answers.

_At least they're not clubbing me to death_, Ranma thought warily.

"Kazumi!" Sayo shouted as she looked up at her seatmate. "It's me, Sayo!"

Recognition set in for the girls of 3-A. Greeting their classmate they swarmed the now solid ghost and Ranma (still holder her in his arms). Pulled back to her feet the ghost giggled as the other girls examined her body.

_I guess that equation worked_, Ranma though as he considered the set of seals he'd placed on the totem.

Making eye contact with Kaede and Haruna, the cursed martial artist slipped into his suite, followed by the two girls. Pulling his shirt off he stood before them.

"Hey, I thought we agreed that we'd only be friends," Haruna teased, seeing his bare chest.

"Although I don't mind sharing you Ranma-dono, I thought that Haruna-dono had expressed her desire to no longer be considered one of your lovers-de gozaruna," the ninja stated.

"I didn't call you two in for that," Ranma replied. Standing in front of the mirror he pointed to it.

The sight of the mirror without Ranma's reflection surprised both girls. Having gone to school with a vampire they had never seen a mirror not reflect the vampire's image. But to see that the cursed boy had no reflection was odd, even for their adjusted standards for him.

"I can't draw the seals on myself," he explained. "And I can't just have a clone do it either. That's why I need you two to help."

Pulling a scroll out of stuff space he handed it to Kaede. "This is where the seals need to go on me."

Unrolling the nearly two meter scroll Kaede understood why Ranma had insisted on her being there. With Haruna's skill with a pen and her ability to draw/write quickly it was no surprise that he had also picked the manga ka.

"What do we use to write with?" Paru asked.

Taking a sharpened feather and several vials of his blood from stuff space Ranma handed it to her. "Use these."

*****

There were few times in Ryoga's life when he wasn't lost. Unfortunately for him, today wasn't one of those days. Fortunately for the residents of Ostia, the buildings were built of sterner stuff then their counterparts in Nerima, repelling the lost boy as he walked into a wall, be it a stone or brink, fence or building. Built with some type of magical ward or protective runes the enhance the durability and longevity of the buildings they actually hurt the cursed youth each time he walked into one (though if he had tried he probably would have been able to walk through on the second attempt as his vast ki reserves had managed to weaken the protection on the first encounter) and then looked up to see what he'd crashed into.

"Hey, isn't that Ryoga Hibiki?" he heard a slightly familiar voice ask her companions.

It wasn't really that unusual. In fact, things like that had been happening all day since the brackets for the Annual Ostia Championship Tournament had gone up. Now everywhere he went (so far at least) people recognized him. Having borrowed several bars of waterproof soap from Ranma, the eternal lost boy had managed to maintain his true form even after getting splashed with cold water (which happened a lot more frequently in the magic world, and that was before you took into consideration the rain that had fallen the past few days).

Sensing several presences approaching him the lost fighter shrugged, reluctantly preparing himself for the hordes of people that wanted him to get Jack Rakan's autograph for them.

"Hey Ryoga," the cheerful female voice greeted as the owner stood before him.

Something about this group was different. Noticing first their sneakers (most travelers in the magical world tended to wear slippers, sandals, or fur or leather boots) and socks (socks weren't normal footwear in the magical world either), then the smooth shapely legs (as compared to furry and muscled legs from lots of walking), and then the clearly manufactured clothes that the attractive young girls wore, Ryoga couldn't help but think that they weren't normal (for the magical world, not normal in general).

"See, he forgot us already," Natsumi stated, seeing the blank look on youth's face.

Recognition sunk in, sort of, "Hey, you're those girls I saved the other day… What were your names again?"

Yuna laughed while her companions simply shrugged. "I'm Yuna," she chirped, latching onto the well muscled fighter.

The feel of perky breasts pressed up against his arm rattled the fighter. Unused to the sensation, Ryoga's mind overloaded before forcing an immediate reboot.

"You've met Akira already, and this is Natsumi, Ako, and Makie," the energetic girl stated, pointing to her companions.

Unable to do anything as him mind was still resetting itself, Ryoga simply nodded.

"You wanna go shopping with us?" Yuna asked.

Again, Ryoga mindlessly nodded.

"Great!" Makie shouted. "We could use a strong guy like you to carry our things."

Absently the lost boy nodded again.

Still attached to his arm, Yuna lead him towards the market district.

*****

The report before him was truly disturbing. Having already ruled out the mysterious Ranma as a thorn in his side, Fate was reluctant to admit that he had underestimated the skilled fighter. Looking up at the monitor he almost scowled at the image of the martial artist as he performed a kata. Clearly he had improved, perhaps even gone up a class, but was he a threat? Not one to leave loose ends unattended he signaled Tsukuyomi.

"Yes master?" the psychotic swordswoman bowed.

With a scowl on his face the white haired youth pulled out a golden vial. "Make sure that Raksha gets this," he instructed, tossing the glass vial over to his henchwoman.

"Yes master."

"And stay way from Negi and his group," he added, knowing full well that the girl's homicidal tendencies.

*****

Despite the recent rainstorm that had cleared Ostia of the wave of late summer humidity the air in the ruins of old Ostia was thick with fog and mist. In truth Ranma didn't mind the hazy air even though it hid some of the smaller floating rocks as it also hid their presence in the ruins. Ranma knew that they needed some privacy, and hiding in the ruins was the best option.

"This should do," he stated, landing on a large floating island. Behind him Negi, Kotaro, Setsuna, and Kaede landed. Pulling out her magical cloak artifact, the ninja girl quickly pulled out several other members of Ala Alba from the small pocket dimension (that resembled a small house from the inside and had a nice comfy bed, not that Ranma and Kaede had done anything indecent in that bed or anywhere in the house, yeah right).

"So, what's the plan?" the perverted ermine asked as he scanned the faces of everyone gathered.

"Negi, hit me with your best shot," the martial artist ordered.

"Wha-what?" the astonished young mage cried out, not sure why Ranma had called him out.

"You too Kotaro," Ranma added. "I need to see just how powerful you two are."

With a shrug Kotaro suddenly attacked. Hitting Ranma with a powerful straight punch to the gut, he smirked as he felt it connect. His smirk quickly faded as he realized that Ranma had not moved.

Gently swatting the dog hanyo with a light but powerful slap, the heir to the Saotome School of Anything Goes quickly dismissed the attack. "Don't hold back, hit me with your hardest and most powerful attacks," he commanded them.

Exchanging a knowing look, the two younger boys quickly moved into position. Channeling dog spirits Kotaro rushed in again. Unleashing a barrage of sundering punches and kicks, he watched as Ranma refused to defend himself. Despite the powerful blows that would have leveled buildings and crushed boulders, the cursed youth stood his ground impassively.

Leaping back as Negi completed his father's "Thousand Bolts" attack the hanyo watched in awe as Ranma absorbed the attack. Though his clothes were slightly singed, the cursed martial artist appeared to be none the worse for it.

"Not bad," Ranma assessed. "You came at me with everything, and your team work isn't too shabby. But you didn't even faze me with those attacks – you're sure you're not holding back?"

The younger boys nodded grimly, accepting the more experienced fighter's criticism.

"But they've never ever beaten you before," Asuna shouted. "You're a lot older and more experienced then they are!"

"Of course I am," Ranma admitted, "but so is Rakan and so is Ryoga."

"So why don't you fight them?" Setsuna questioned.

"It's not my fight," Ranma stated. Staring at his teammates he added, "This is your fight."

"But we've got nothing at stake here," Negi countered.

Not wanting or able to share what Rakan had told him, Ranma contemplated his options. "Nagi, Kojirou," he finally said, addressing the two disguised youths, "I'll buy you two some time."

"Buy us some time?" the dog hanyo replied, not sure of the martial artist's intent.

"I'll take the first two rounds, three if necessary," the cursed youth explained. "I've got business with our first round opponent anyways, and our probable second round opponent as well. That's two more days of training for you both."

"That's fine," the young mage nodded. "It's all about testing our ability, so don't push yourself too hard."

Ranma shook his head, "No, it's not about testing our ability, it's much more then that."

Unsure of what he could or couldn't say, combined with the fact that he was never that tactful the cursed martial artist paused as he tried to concentrate on how best to explain things to the young mage. Sensing several powerful presences he was saved from having to explain things as he automatically shifted into a guarded stance.

"Very perceptive," a feminine voice stated. The slim light grey robed figure hid in the depths of her hood as she slowly approached the group. "I'm surprised that you noticed me." Her two dark skinned hands gracefully pulled back her hood, exposing her youthful face, smooth features, long blond tussles, elfish ears, and curved horns.

"You must be Ranma," the girl smiled. "I've heard so little about you from Rakan. Then again, he doesn't like to admit to losing very well, even against the Thousand Master. I'm glad you called me out here."

Turning her gaze towards Negi she smiled. "And you must be Negi; you really do look like your father."

Negi blinked, not sure what to make of the strange woman or of her claims that Ranma had beaten the legendary fighter who had declared himself the rival and equal to the Thousand Master.

"Thank you for coming Princess," Ranma bowed.

"Honestly, normally I wouldn't have come here myself," the woman replied casually. "But when Jack told me that 'Nagi' was actually Negi, the son of the real Nagi, I just had to see him for myself."

"Princess Theodora of Hellas?" Negi muttered as the pieces slowly fell into place.

"Call me Theo," the princes insisted.

Reading the princess' thoughts Ranma shook his head. "He doesn't know anything yet. He can't know anything yet," he whispered.

_So Jack hasn't told him anything?_ Sighing, she shook her head in response, knowing the answer to her question despite having thought it.

Sensing two other presences approaching Ranma sighed.

"There you are!" A tall man wearing a business suit shouted as he leapt from his personal aircraft. Landing in a slight crater he stood up, heedless of the great impact he had left on the floating island. "You must be Negi!"

"Who's that?" Kotaro asked, pointing at the physically impressive man.

"He would be Ricardo," a beautiful blond woman explained as she glided down to them. Riding a broom, and wearing business suit, the horned woman smiled warmly as she landed beside the dark haired man. "And I'm Seras."

"I hope you don't mind," Princess Theo said as she walked over to Negi. "We all knew and fought beside your father. When we heard that you were actually his son, we had to meet you."

"But why here, why now?" Chisame asked.

"Because we're each the leaders of different delegations representing the interests of different nations," Seras explained. "It's one thing for us to meet in public in front of the press and act formal, but another thing completely to meet discreetly like this. Though we may be friends in private, we also have to maintain our public images."

"I'll leave their training to you then," Ranma said as he started to walk away.

"Wha-what?!" Kotaro exclaimed.

"But you beat Rakan!" Theo shouted. "You've done something that none of us were able to do!"

"It's not my fight," Ranma reiterated. "This is your fight."

"But if we can't even faze you, much less beat you, how can we fight Jack?" Negi panicked.

The cursed martial artist slowly turned around. "You want to be able to beat Fate, right?"

Negi nodded.

"He beat your father, and Jack is considered the rival and equal to your father, right?"

Again, the young boy nodded.

"So if you want to beat Fate, then you need to surpass your father and Jack," the martial artist rationalized. "If I beat Jack for you then you basically admit that you'll always be in your father's shadow. It's time for you to stand up for yourself Negi."

"You're right!" Negi exclaimed. Not looking at Ranma or anyone in particular, the young mage focused on the task at hand, steeling his resolve at the prospect of facing his father's rival and equal.

"So you're really looking to take him on then?" Ricardo asked as he approached Negi. "Even though you basically have no chance in hell of beating him, you're still going to fight him?"

Confidently the young mage nodded.

"Your old man and that meathead Rakan used to be old drinking buddies of mine (not that I really wanted them to tag along), so I know a few of their tricks," the suited man smiled. "And I did train and fight with them a bit back in the day."

"Since I have only just now heard of Rakan losing to someone other then Nagi," Seras interjected, "I'd love to help supervise your training so that I can actually see someone other than Nagi beat him."

"Tomorrow's the opening ceremonies, I'll represent team Negima," Ranma stated. "The next day is the opening round, and the day after that is the second round – I can take care of those fights myself. If need be, I can take care of the semi- and quarterfinal rounds as well, giving you a full week to prep time. But you have to make it to the finals in a week."

Both Negi and Kotaro nodded.

Turning around to leave he waved, "I leave you in capable hands then."

* * * * *

Szadeck shook his ancient head as he looked over the markings on Duo (the second copy of Duce, the first copy of Ranma, and the creator of Duo). Examining the wings and feather he sighed. "Okay, your turn," he said, indicating to Tri (the second copy of Trip, the second copy of Ranma, and the creator of Tri) to come over as Duo picked up another scroll.

Having finished all the scrolls in the Primary room of the Nephalim Library, the second set of clones had moved onto the more dangerous and thus more powerful scrolls. At least that's what Duce and Trip had originally thought. Though the scrolls were more dangerous, they were not all that powerful (in the 'I can kick your ass with this technique' school of thought) unless you were one to deal with knowledge and information. Historical writings and text focused on the history of the Spirit/Celestial Realm and world, and the Angels' relations with humans and demons, a list of biological and genealogical histories of the royal family and nobles of Ostia though they were missing the last century, and lists of Peri and their descendents as well as who killed them had comprised the first four scrolls. Informative but boring, Tri had struggled to stay awake. If not for her (and the original Ranma's) inability to fall asleep easily the second generation clone was sure she would have fallen asleep while reading it.

"Okay," the vampire announced, dismissing the clone. Quill in hand he quickly dipped it in the ink. Having never read the scrolls himself the ancient day walking vampire did not know what was on the scrolls. Though he knew of them, he had never been able to discuss them with his lover Raiza, or with Ranma (odd, both names start with R). Given the level of protection on the scrolls he assumed (correctly) that the information was very sensitive and that the readers of the scrolls would not be able to share the information with anyone else. It wasn't too much of a surprise that they were cursed for a reason. Even Nephalim, the mortals with Angelic or Celestial blood, could not access the scrolls without some consequence.

"Dream, Fertility, and Vision," he muttered to himself, writing the curses/blessings down. "I guess there's a limit to the number of these curses he can have. Still, I'll definitely need to look those up."

* * * * *

The feel of the fresh air as it caressed her face made Duce smile. Though she was the fifth or sixth incarnation (the previous four or five having been dispelled) she retained all of Ranma's memories, and interests, while not having the original's current perspective. As such she was slightly different from the original, or source. The same could be said of Trip, Quad, and Quinn (and Duo and Tri as well). While the clones did not retain separate personalities, they could react differently in various situations depending on their experiences. Ultimately though all their thoughts, ideas, experiences, and what not would be transferred back to the original. But for now they were granted some independence and were slightly unique. With four (technically six) clones out and about Ranma was able to explore more and cover more ground while also getting the benefit of experiencing four (six) times as much as he (as the original had turned back into his original form) was normally experiencing.

Riding a strong air current Duce ascended into the air as she spread her wings wide. At her current pace she'd easily make it to Megwatists (she didn't know the name because the original didn't really remember what it was either).

Several kilometers away similar thoughts were running through Trips mind as she flew back to Arcades' lair and the ruined city that the old dragon guarded. Though her perspective was different as she fought the still volatile and chaotic winds of the storm front, the clone enjoyed the challenge of staying airborne as she twisted and turned in the air.

Only a few kilometers out of Ostia Quad and Quinn were not thinking similar thoughts as their predecessors, much less each other. Though they shared the same task the two clones were experiencing two very different situations.

Facing a rampaging mother dragon bent on a) protecting her nest, b) feeding her hatchlings, and c) protecting her lair, Quad was wondering just how much pain she would experience should the dragon take a bite out of her and how much pain Ranma (the original) would feel on his end of things. Would it be enough to snap him out of his normal reverie? Or was he off making out with one of his harem (and why couldn't he let one of the clones take over that duty once in a while)?

For Quinn the task of exploring the floating ruins of old Ostia was much more enjoyable though just as hazardous. Hiding from the various wild demons and dragons that were forced to lurk in this section of the ruins due to the fact that they couldn't claim any of the prime territory, the fourth Ranma clone had managed to outsmart and evade over a half dozen dragons and easily twice that many demons, even getting several to fight each other as they realized that they were not the only ones chasing after her.

Back in Ostia Six (the fifth copy of Ranma, and not knowing any playful ways of saying Six, the cursed youth had simply taken to referring to the fifth clone as Six as he didn't want to refer to himself as Sexta, as he couldn't get past the first three letters given what it meant in English) was having much more fun than any of the other clones. Having changed back into his male body, he was trying to keep the girls' attention as the original Ranma secretly met with Chamo, Chisame, and Chachamaru.

Seven, (the sixth copy of Ranma, and yes, Ranma had given up on giving them all nice little nicknames) was enjoying (much more then he should) playing the role of Chamo as the fake ermine dashed around the legs and skirts of the girls (even venturing to tease/taunt Ranma's harem) but stopped short of stealing the girls' underwear. Ocho (the seventh) and Nine (the eighth) played their rolls admirably. Expressionless and annoyed faces matching Chachamaru and Chisame respectively.

Even with Six and Seven slowly stealing lust energy from Kaede, Kazumi, Akira, Takane, Setsuna, and Konoka (it was impossible to steal lust energy from the fake Asuna) as they played their parts, Ranma was struggling to maintain ten clones (Duo and Tri were with Szadeck).

"So, what's the plan?" Chamo asked. Having already made clear that he did no like the fact that Seven was impersonating him and getting away with it due to the fact that Six was letting the 'perverted ermine' do things that the real ermine wouldn't have done, and because Negi, Asuna, and Kotaro were away training, Chamo was itching to take advantage of the situation.

"Well, the last time we talked you pulled something out," Ranma reminded the ermine.

"That's right," the familiar nodded. Displaying his recently acquired prizes he smiled as he sniffed them. "So fresh."

Ranma couldn't help but repress a shudder as he watched the display of perversion. Even Happosai wasn't that bad, and that was saying a lot.

"Ew!" Chisame exclaimed.

Beside the internet idol Chachamaru was, for once, silently glad that she was not in fact a live, fleshy, human girl.

Happily content, the ermine sighed as he put the panties away. "I should be able to pick up on their scent," the ermine explained. "If they're anywhere within a hundred kilometers I should be able to locate them by scent alone."

Sniffing the air the ermine dashed towards the ruins.

"That's not a surprise," Ranma stated. "I guess a lot of people are in there."

*****

A/N

Another week, another chapter – I know that I've been saying that I'm going to take some time off to get taxes done and whatnot, but seriously, I need to get my taxes done. I'm going to try and get those done over the next week or two, so I won't be able to devote so much time to writing. Hopefully I'll be motivated to finish taxes sooner, but knowing me, probably not. Also have lots of birthdays to celebrate over the next few weekends and I've promised the wife I'd spend more time with her after 9pm local time.

So yeah, I'm saying I won't be updating as quickly as I have been recently.

Take that as you will.

Dreamingfox


	27. Chapter 27

Author's Notes

Thanks to all my betas without whom this fic probably would have sucked more then it could have.

Thanks to all the loyal readers and especially the reviewers who have given me some good ideas and insights.

*****

The warm spring air was rather refreshing as Negi opened the windows to his classroom. Having completed a full year with 3-A the young mage was reluctant to see them go. Still, they were no longer his students anymore. Today they would be their last day as middle school students.

Looking at the pile of gifts that his girls had given him he smiled warily. This last term had been especially difficult. Too much had happened over the summer vacation. Some wounds had cut more then flesh and had clearly not healed.

"Hey," a somber Kotaro said, perched on one of the windows.

With a sad look in his eyes Negi forced himself to smile at his former rival. "Hey, long time no see."

"Yeah," the dog hanyo sighed. "I didn't want to intrude on their last homeroom with you."

Negi nodded, accepting his friend's excuse. "We should probably head over…"

"Yeah," Kotaro mumbled.

The pair walked in silence the entire way. Though each had so much to tell the other, they knew that those things could wait. Today was a special day, a sad day, but a special one none the less.

The sight of a shadowy figure standing before the gate to the campus' shrine stopped the pair of youths.

"Ryoga," the hanyo said with a crooked smile. "How you been?"

"Hibiki-san," the mage bowed, "I'm sorry we couldn't make it to your wedding."

The lost boy averted his eyes. "Don't worry about it," he replied, "it wasn't much, just a small family affair. I'm sure you both had something more important to do."

Negi nodded. In truth he hadn't had anything to do that day. With the end of the term he no longer had Saturday classes or even tutoring sessions. He should have gone, but it had just been too painful.

"I'm surprised you found your way here," a new voice said, pulling each from their individual thoughts.

"Evangeline," the young man said with a bow, "Chachamaru."

Cold and emotionless, the day walking vampire simply stared at the assembled males. "We should probably wait for the others," she suggested.

"How's the leg?" Ryoga asked the hanyo.

"Better," Kotaro replied. "I heal almost as fast as Ranma."

A sudden chill stole the warmth from the quintet.

"It doesn't hurt too much, just a scar that reminds me…." Kotaro suddenly fell silent.

"He did his job," Eva stated. "He made sure that all of you returned home safely, injuries aside. He did his job."

A pregnant silence claimed the group as they stood before the entrance. Slowly more girls arrived. First were Konoka, Asuna, and Setsuna, and then came Misora, Mei, Kokone, and Takane, followed by Kaede and Mana, the sports girls with Ku Fei, Chisame, and Kazumi, Haruna, Yue and Nodoka, and finally Takahata.

"I guess we're all here," the older teacher stated as he put out his cigarette.

"Anya couldn't be here," Negi stated, "but she sent some flowers."

Holding a small vase with bright red and orange flowers he lead the group up the steps of the shrine. The solemn procession quietly made their way towards past the shrine.

Standing before a faded picture of the Ala Alba the group slowly bowed their heads. Several girls wrapped their arms around their friends, offering hugs or a shoulder for them to cry on. Some had obviously been closer to the martial artist then others.

"Ranma," Akira whispered as her eyes filled with tears.

"Ranma!"

Ranma woke with a start. Opening his eyes the cursed martial artist blinked, taking in the morning light as it illuminated the suite.

Sitting up he slowly processed his surroundings. Seeing the flustered and flush expressions on the girl's faces he blinked again. The gentle morning breeze floating through the open windows reminded him of his state of undress. Looking down and finding himself to be naked, Ranma quickly pulled the blanket around his midsection.

"You're finally awake," a red-faced Setsuna exclaimed.

"Huh?" he replied.

"Kaede and Akira found you passed out in the bathhouse," Konoka explained. "They snuck you back up here."

"Stripped you and had their way with you too," Kazumi added teasingly. "I knew I should have gone with them."

Ranma blushed, not recalling anything other then being in the hot water.

"Okay, they really didn't do that," the class reported replied, trying to calm down the other girls.

"You've been out for over ten hours," the crow hanyo stated. "Konoka tried to heal you but for some reason her spells weren't working on you."

Ranma nodded. "Magic resistance," he explained. "My ki doesn't take well to my body being infused with magic, so it probably resisted any magical spells you cast on me."

Seeing the expectant look on the girls faces the young martial artist shrugged. "I must have passed out from sitting in the bath too long. That and all the training and stuff, and I guess I was just tired."

Reluctantly the girls seemed to accept his explanation.

"Um, can you get out now?" he asked, not wanting to flash the underage girls (despite some of his recent actions with some of them Ranma wanted to remain presentable to the group as a whole).

The girls quickly retreated (though some slower then the others), leaving Ranma to get dressed. Glad to be alone for once, the cursed martial artist took a deep, calming breath.

Exhausted by the strain of maintaining ten clones and their various missions/duties that he's sent them off on the young martial artist had not been prepared for the rush of memories and knowledge that each of them had acquired. For the first time in a week (or a day depending on how one looked at the passage of time) Ranma had slept. Overwhelmed with all the information his mind had reset itself, allowing him to sleep as his fragmented subconscious mind pieced together all the information.

Alone in the suite (as Negi and Kotaro were off training) the heir to the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts had not been blessed with the good fortune of having been in bed when the first of the clones (Duo and Tri) had dispelled themselves. The information they had provided from reading the scrolls and from their long discussion with themselves and Szadeck regarding the curses they had acquired and the information on the scrolls had proven to Ranma that as long as his clones understood something, he would understand it as well once their memories were assimilated into his memories. The combined information from Duce and Trip as they examined the ruined Gateports in Esperzoa and Megalomesembria had been useful as well, helping to support the theory that Duo and Tri had put together (sometimes two heads really were better then one).

Quickly dressing Ranma checked his ki reserves – low but not low enough to push him over the edge to becoming a perverted berserker. _ Good thing it's only the opening ceremony and not the tournament today_, he thought to himself as he finished dressing.

Splashing herself with some cold water from the basin in the personal washroom Ranma felt the sudden change. Wiping her face dry she rolled her neck, stretching her stiff muscles in her neck and shoulder.

*****

The lively sounds of the festival blanketed the grand city of Ostia. With festivities officially underway the streets were full of people – human, elf, dwarf, fairy, pixie, hanyo, demon, beast, lizard, and insectoid. Everywhere they looked there were new sights to behold.

Lost in the sea of new sensations Ranma and the remaining Mahora girls explored the city. Though they had spent the past few days in Ostia, the sight of it made up and decked out for the festival made every building, every commons, and even every street a new experience.

"Ooh, that looks tasty!" Ku Fei shouted as she grabbed Ako's hand (the purse for one of the groups of girls).

"Wow!" Akira exclaimed, "It's just like the Mahora Festival."

"Except without the costumes," Makie added.

Ranma slowly trailed after the girls, soaking in the new and different experiences and environment.

Ryoga couldn't help but get riled up; it was instinctive, a basic conditioned reaction he got anytime he saw Ranma being friendly with other girls. Sure, he knew it was wrong, especially since the gender cursed rival had promised that she would no longer stand in the way of Ryoga trying to win over Akane's affections. That made it easier for him to accept that Ranma had moved on, but it was still a conditioned response, it wasn't his fault – well, not entirely.

"You okay Ryoga?" Yuna asked as she clung to the lost young man's arm, keeping him from wandering too far from the Mahora group.

"Huh?" Looking down at the cute girl attached to his arm the directionless youth blushed as he felt her soft assets pressed against his arm. "Oh, nothing wrong…"_ I'm just not used to a girl being so forward with me_.

After several days of enduring the rigors of Rakan's brutal training, Ryoga had initially wanted to test himself against Ranma (and to avenge his prior loses) but he found that the girls (Yuna in particular) was very persuasive, deflecting his attention away from his rival towards things that 'normal' young men like him were supposed to be interested in.

"So, tell me about some of the places you've been to," the perky girl asked eagerly.

"Well," he said, scratching his head with his free hand, "I've been to China several times that I know of, Hokkaido, Osaka, Okinawa, Taiwan, Obama."

"Obama? Where's Obama?"

"It's a seaside city," Ryoga replied. "But I don't know where really."

The perky girl nodded, asking directions from the lost boy was like asking to get lost.

"I think I was in Paris…"

"France?" Yuna exclaimed.

"I think so," he replied. "Though I did see the pyramids too."

"So Egypt then," she muttered, awed by how well traveled he was.

"More like Vegas," Ranko interjected.

"You've been to America?" Akira asked dubiously.

"I don't know, maybe," the bandana wearing boy grinned sheepishly.

"You sent Akane a post card," Ranko explained. "It was Vegas. It had a fake pyramid and Sphinx, a small remake of that tower in Paris, and a fake green statue. "

"Oh, I guess it was Vegas then," Ryoga replied with a smile.

"You did send us a post card from Spain though," Ranko added. "And Moscow too."

"Well, I couldn't send food like I normally do, now could I?" the lost youth began to get irritated with Ranma inserting himself into the conversation.

Sensing the odd shift in mood Yuna tugged on Ryoga's arm, bringing his attention back to her. "So, tell me about Vegas. Or is the saying true?"

Ryoga focused on the slight girl in his arms and blinked, not sure what to say. "What saying?"

"'What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.'"

"Leave them alone," Akira whispered, directing Ranko away from the other pair.

"I was just trying to be helpful," the socially inept young man replied.

"I'm sure you were," the swimmer stated, "but what does it look like to him if you promised to not stand in the way of him and Akane and then you start to prod him towards another girl?"

Ranko blinked, not sure what she was trying to say.

"Just let him do things his way, and if he needs help then he'll ask," she explained.

_But real men don't ask for help_, Ranko thought to herself, not wanting to actually say it aloud.

"Ranko-dono, just because you want to show him the right way, doesn't mean that he can't learn from trial and error," Kaede interjected. "It might be best to let Ryoga-dono make his own path so that he can fail or succeed on his own, that way he'll learn to do things on his own, de gorazu."

Ranko nodded, still not sure what the other girls were trying to imply.

"Excuse me, but aren't you Ranko Tendo?" a familiar voice asked.

Snapping her attention to the tall cat warrior before her Ranko fought the urge to flee from her nemesis. Sure, Jedit was one of those involved with the incident back in the Wyvern's Nest, but what really upset the gender cursed young woman were Jedit's very feline like features.

"Jedit," she hissed out.

"Ranko," the tall feline warrior smiled, flashing his fangs. "Kaede, right?"

The ninja girl nodded, holding tightly onto Ranko's arm so that the martial artist wouldn't make a scene.

"This is Seht," Jedit indicated the shorter but menacingly powerful tiger-like warrior beside him. "He's my second on the War Pride."

Recalling the mighty white and black furred fighter from their previous encounter Ranko nodded, reluctant to take his eyes off of either of the Pardic warriors.

"Is that Ryoga Hibiki?" Seht asked, pointing at the bandana wearing youth. "Partner to Jack Rakan?"

Ranma blinked. Something about how Seht phrased that sounded wrong.

"I think you mean to say 'Teammate of Jack Rakan'," Akira suggested.

"Excuse," the smaller Pardic bowed, "my knowledge of human tongues is weak."

Though he knew that there were several different languages used in the magical world Ranma had always taken it for granted that those around him spoke in rough Japanese. Lynx and Nasham did use some English, but only limited English as it had soon become apparent that Ranma and the girls were more comfortable speaking in their native tongue. Captain Sisay had spoken Japanese though that was primarily due to the fact that the closest Gateport was linked to China and Japan so as a passenger bearing ship she had found it necessary to learn some Mandarin and Japanese, as well as some Korean.

Jedit snorted, obviously trying to laugh at his companions broken Japanese. "He's much better with Mandarin and English that I am, though we have to rely on Jareth for Korean and Latin."

Looking at the towering Leonin titan sitting just short of the awning Ranko tried not to let her jaw drop. She'd thought that Jedit was tall at nearly two meters, but judging from the sitting Leonine it was clear that the third member of their team made the others look small in comparison. Though sitting the titanic Leonin's neck, mane and head were obscured by the awning.

Clutching her pactio card, Akira focused on her link with Ranma. _ Take a deep breath_, she sent. _ Just focus on something else_.

Seeing the slightly panicked look in Ranko's eyes Jedit huffed. Though there was no love lost between them there was no reason to play on the young fighter's fear, especially if it might endanger civilians and remove the possibility of them settling things in the arena.

Snarling, he sent Jareth and Seht further off so as not to provoke the berserker. "I apologize," he said calmly, "Hakkon had told me, but I didn't believe it until just now. If our presence is truly upsetting to you then I ask your leave. We can settle things in the arena."

Ranko nodded, taking a deep breath as she fought to regain her composure. "It's alright if it's just one or two of you, as long as we're just talking," the cursed youth said, trying to not offend the proud warrior.

Jedit narrowed his eyes, squinting as he eyed the odd girl. "Good, because Jareth was hoping to enter the Urborg challenge – with his height he's sure to win the Cloud Chaser Challenge."

Ranko shuddered at the thought of having to wash the syrup out of the titanic Leonin's mane and fur.

"But the syrup," Akira muttered, voicing Ranko's exact thoughts.

"I hear that the Urborg's open air bathhouse is second only to Ostia's Grand bathhouse," Jedit chuckled. "And I'm sure his newest mate wouldn't mind enjoying the bathhouse with him."

* * * * *

A warm glow blanketed Ostia. Despite the many magical torches and lanterns that lit the now crowded streets the festival goers could clearly see the magical fireworks that illuminated the clear night sky.

On top of the Urborg, on the courtyard level, Ranko, Ryoga and the Mahora girls took in the wonderful display of skyward bound explosives. Sprawled out on the ground with her head on Kaede's stomach she sighed in contentment. Though Konoka and Setsuna were on one side and Akira, Kazumi and Takane on the other side, each using some portion of her torso or thigh as a pillow, Ranko desperately fought for control of her body (against his hormones and basic urges).

But it was so comfortable. So relaxing…

The clear blue sky was free of clouds. A gentle breeze disturbed the lightly billowing smoke from the incense sticks before the grave markers. Side by side Akira and Takane walked against the light breeze. Hair trailing behind them, they made their way silently down the path until they reached their destination.

"I guess some of the others were here recently," Takane whispered.

The chorus of loud snores greeted Ranko as she opened her eyes. Entangled in several bodies Ranko opened her eyes. Lifting her head slightly she looked around, trying to identify the source of the loudest snores. It came as a surprise that Setsuna was the loudest – she was generally the quietest of the girls, and yet her long drawn out snores were clearly the loudest. Ranko never pegged Takane as a talked in her sleep; then again she'd never known anyone who talked in their sleep. Kaede was of course the quietest, and Konoka was surprisingly quiet too.

Sighing, Ranko gently shifted, disturbing the girls just enough so that they stopped snoring (at least for now). Delicately lowering her head she took a deep breath, willing herself to go back to sleep. After an hour or so of restlessly shifting she knew that she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. It was just too much to think that she could actually get some sleep, especially after having apparently slept twice during the last day.

Restless and Dream, apparently they balanced out, allowing him to dream a bit but not enough to truly get a good night's rest. Several minutes and countless even breaths later, Ranko cleared her mind. Spending the rest of the night in an awkward position as a human pillow, she occasionally dozed off, only to wake up after another short dream.

*****

As one of the fighters involved in the opening bout of the Ostia Championship Tournament, Ryoga had a lot riding on his shoulders. Without any other fights before him their match was expected to not only warm up the crowds, but to set the tone for the coming fights. And, as a member of the favored team, Team Rakan, he was expected to show just why they were expected to win it all.

"Welcome," the incubus Sasha shouted, "to the opening round of the Ostia Championship Tournament! I am your announcer, Sasha Mordread."

The loud roar of the crowds greeted her enthusiastic opening.

"Not only it this the opening match, but this is the debut match of Team Rakan's Ryoga Hibiki," the succubus continued. "Obviously no one knows anything about the mysterious new comer, but if he's been personally selected to team up with the Legendary Warrior, the master of ten thousand blades, then he musts be an exceptional fighter."

Ryoga walked into the arena. Greeted by the thunderous roars and cheers of the crowds he rolled his neck. Never one to play to the crowds Ryoga simply stood in his team's entrance, waiting as Sasha announced his opponents.

Across the arena two large figures emerged from their entrance.

"Team Abyss!" Sasha shouted, to a less thunderous roar of the crowd. "Sending out the demonic duo of Barghest and Leshrac, Team Abyss hopes to pull of an upset. The clear underdog team, they're sending out their heaviest hitters."

Cracking his knuckles, Ryoga ground his teeth as he eyed his opponents. Leshrac, the smaller of the two demons, appeared to be nothing more then a giant bat. With long menacing teeth, shallow eyes, long bat-like ears, and leathery flesh connecting his arms to his torso, it was unclear if he could fly or just glide. As much as Leshrac resembled a bat, Barghest resembled a dog. Lacking proper hands, the demon appeared to have elongated paws. Covered in long spiky fur and with a short dog-like tail, Barghest clearly was the larger of the two demons.

"It appears that Ryoga Hibiki will be the only entrant from Team Rakan," Sasha announced, drawing some boos from the fans that had been looking forward to actually seeing the legendary fighter compete.

"Leshrac takes to the air as Barghest charges in," the succubus stated, calling the action of the match. "We've seen this before, though never with the two of them together. Leshrac hangs back gauging the abilities and skills of the opponents while Barghest tests their speed and constitution as he shoots his spikes – Wow! I've never seen anyone withstand the barrage of spikes. He just stood there! And there's not even a single spike in him. Even the hardest stone elementals can't repel Barghest's spikes. Just what is Ryoga made of?"

The crowd roared at the action, drowning out Sasha's commentary.

"That looks like it's going to hurt," the succubus cried out, amazed at the sheer power of the punch that the unknown human had connected with. "Barghest went clear across the arena and would have hit the seventeenth row if not for the magic barrier protecting the crowd – Ryoga Hibiki sure does have a mean punch!"

Ranma watched the match from the special booth set up for prize fighters. Though he knew that Ryoga would easily beat the pair of demons Ranma hoped to observe more techniques (thus adding to the Grand Master's Scroll) from not only Ryoga's fight, but from all the matches. It also provided him a good chance to observe team tactics in the arena, something he would probably have to face in the immediate future. Though the demons were obviously using magical techniques that the cursed youth wouldn't be using due to his ki reserves, Ranma knew that by learning about the techniques and skills he could better know what to expect if and when he was on the receiving end of the attacks.

Watching Ryoga charge into the staggering Barghest and then toss the demon into the air to not only disrupt Leshrac's attack, but to use it as cover to prepare for his own counter, Ranma couldn't help but think that the his eternally lost rival had started to use his brain (even if it was on a subconscious level). Gone was the tank that charged in blindly, taking punishing blows while dishing out a world of hurt; clearly Ryoga had learned something other then just techniques during his short time under Rakan's tutelage.

"It looks like Barghest is out," Sasha shouted. "But Leshrac is still up and about, and it looks like he's casting Acid Mist – will the cloud of corrosive chemicals be able to slow down the seemingly impervious Ryoga though?"

The crowd roared again as Ryoga charged through the mist, vanishing briefly as he was consumed by the yellowish mist.

"He appears to have made it through the mist," the succubus announced. "But his unfortunately his clothes can't say the same. What's this he's doing? It appears he's throwing something at Leshrac. Whatever it was he appears to have clipped the airborne demon. Not a serious hit, but enough to keep Leshrac from flying as high and fast as he has been so far. Oh! And Leshrac responds with a powerful tackle!"

The crowds roared again.

"But Ryoga shrugs it off! What is this guy made of?!" Drowned out by the cheering stadium Sasha watched and tried to scream out the commentary. "-it looks like that finished him off. I don't know how or why, but he simply overpowered the heavy hitting demonic pair from Team Abyss. I can definitely see why Team Rakan felt that they only needed to field one of the members. I don't know what could possibly make them field both of them at the same time."

Ranma watched as the referee completed the twenty count, announcing Ryoga as the winner. The outcome hadn't been a surprise, only the execution of the victory. His competitive juices flowing, Ranma almost wished that he could fight Ryoga, but having already resigned himself to forcing Negi and Kotaro to fight against Team Rakan, he knew he'd have to wait his turn. For now there were more important things then seeing just who was the strongest.

*****

A/N

Yes, a short chapter. Be happy that I managed to get this out.

Yes, the transitions were weird/hard for a reason.

Dreamingfox


	28. Chapter 28

Author's Notes –

I obviously don't own Ranma or Negima, but this fic does incorporate the characters, ideas, and some mechanics from the two series. It's all for the purpose of letting others enjoy a good story – not dare, not a challenge, just me doing it for fun. I do hope that everyone enjoys the fic.

Here's another chapter for you all to read and enjoy – and please Review!

*****

The second day of the Ostia Festival quickly flew by for Ranma as the cursed young woman observed the matches of the opening round. With so many people in attendance it was clear that the Championship Tournament was the main draw for the festival. Watching the last ten fights (after Ryoga's impressive opening match) it was clear to Ranma that while the competition was good, they were nowhere near the level of Rakan, Ryoga, and Ranma, or Fate.

Gathering her things Ranma headed up the stairs towards the arena. Never one to psych herself up for a fight, the martial artist simply walked into the arena and waited for her opponents. The roar of boos had been unexpected, but not unanticipated. While Team Negima was a crowd favorite, it was consisted mostly of younger girls obviously crushing on the young Nagi and Kojirou. Seeing a young woman on the same team as the two young heart breakers was definitely disheartening to all the young girls.

"It looks like Team Negima is only fielding their newest member – Ranko Tendo," Sasha shouted to another chorus of boos. "This will be her debut match. Not much is known about her, though several sources report that she was involved in the defeat and capture of several pirate ships from the One Piece armada of pirates. Apparently several ships from that pirate fleet attacked the_ Predator_ but were shot down by Ranko, who also happened to be a key figure in the defense of the_ Predator_."

Ranko inhaled deeply, shrugging off Sasha's commentary.

"But will she be up to the task of facing the heavily favored Wicked Redeemers with Raksha the Golden Fang?"

Several sections of the audience began chanting the famous warrior's name in response as the two Leonin's emerged from their team's entrance.

"And here they are – the famous Raksha the Golden Fang and Crimson, team captain of the Wicked Redeemers. Raksha of course is famous for his exploits in the Great War that ended twenty years ago. Though not as infamous the real Nagi Springfield and Jack Rakan, Raksha was known for defeating a legion of golems in the Battle of Serenity."

Exhaling, Ranko closed her mind to the roars of the crowd and Sasha's running commentary. Spotting the referee's signal for the match to begin Ranma slipped into the standard Anything Goes stance as Raksha and Crimson charged in. Not wanting to go berserk as the two large cat warriors engaged her Ranko sat down in the lotus position and closed her eyes.

"Has Ranko decided to give up already?" Sasha shouted to another chorus of boos. "She's simply sitting there with no defense or anything!"

Sensing the huge spike of power that Crimson was charging Ranko calmed her mind as she waited for the coming attack. For such a powerful spell it was easily avoided as Ranko simply flipped over it by using the strength in her legs to kick off the ground then gently land in a the lotus position.

"Wow!" the succubus exclaimed. "I've never seen that done before!"

Growling, the pair of Wicked Redeemers charged in, unaware that Ranko was reading their minds so he could avoid or deflect their attacks. Using the basics of Aikido and Aiki, Ranko skillfully redirected their attacks, throwing the pair off balance and into the protective barrier behind her. With a minimal expenditure of energy and by using the power of her opponent's attacks against them the skilled martial artist began to toss the pair around each time they rushed in to attack.

After only a few minutes the pair slowly backed off, clearly needing to reconsider their tactics. Standing up Ranko simply stood in the basic Anything Goes stance, daring them to attack again as she continued to keep her eyes closed.

Ranko knew that she could easily match the pair's speed, especially in close combat, and her short bursts of speed were equally useful in dodging their ranged attacks. The only thing that she was concerned about was Raksha's large energy reserves. Something about the amount of mana the warrior had accumulated in their brief fight was wrong. If he had started the fight with full mana reserves they why was he pulling in more energy? Clearly he had drawn in more then he had used, even after the last few over-charged attacks. Magic was about using the precise amount of mana – but what happened with the excess mana when you drew in more then you could or would use?

Cursing, Ranko rushed in, activating her Nephalim seals as she did. Ducking under a defensive swipe she tackled the larger Raksha. Locking in a solid grip around the massively muscled stomach of her opponent she slipped behind him and quickly used her shorter stature to leverage the larger cat warrior over her head.

"Oh my," Sasha stammered unable to describe what was happening in the arena. "That's definitely going to hurt."

Draining some of his ambient and excess mana from him, Ranko used her seal to convert it to ki, powering her attacks. Lifting the huge warrior off his feet and over her head she arched her back as she fell backwards, slamming the back of his head into the ground. Rolling over and then back to her feet she repeated the process several times until she felt that she was drawing from Raksha's own reserve rather then from his excess mana.

"Seven, eight, nine, ten," the succubus counted aloud with the now invigorated crowd. "How many times can even Raksha take being slammed on his head like that? Eleven, twelve, thirteen – and what's this?"

On her feet again Ranko threw Raksha into the air, releasing her hold on the mighty leonin. Leaping up after him she grabbed hold of him again, this time setting him up for a power bomb. Slamming him into the hard ground she knew that he was out of the fight, so long as she finished off Crimson quickly.

Spotting the captain of the Wicked Redeemers, she rushed in. Springing onto his outstretched arm she ran up his arm. Charging the remaining excess mana-turned ki into his legs he delivered a punishing kick to the head, sending the mighty Crimson crashing and skidding into the ground before finally smashing into the barrier.

Landing gently she cracked her knuckles, deactivating the seal.

"Team Negima wins!" Sasha shouted as the referee completed the twenty-count. "What an impressive win! There's definitely a reason why she's earned a spot on the crowd favorite Team Negima!"

Ranko shrugged as cheers greeted her departure. The crowds' reaction didn't matter to the cursed martial artist, only that she'd won against Crimson and his team.

The convenience of having a separate shower in his suite was exactly what Ranma needed after his match against Crimson and Raksha. Though the fight had ended quickly without any serious injuries the skilled martial artist knew that something was wrong. Not only had he drained Raksha's mysterious mana, but had taken a lot out of him. There was just something corrupt and wrong about it.

Finishing his shower he doused himself with some cold water, triggering the transformation. Wrapping a towel around herself Ranma stepped out of the washroom and into the small suite. Cracking her back as she arched back she collapsed onto the bed and closed her eyes.

"What happened?" a familiar voice asked. "How could they have been defeated so easily?"

Unfamiliar darkness greeted Ranma as she opened her eyes. Only the light from a large monitor illuminated the dark chamber, revealing the mysterious white haired boy known as Fate.

Irritated Fate stood up. Turning to face her he walked over.

"I see that you're awake now princess," the white haired boy said. Reaching up he nearly touched her chin, only to have her bite at his hands.

"What the hell are you doing to me?" Asuna shouted.

"Don't worry princess, I won't do anything to you yet," Fate sneered. "I only helped you remember everything that Nagi and the others kept from you. Doesn't it hurt to know that the ones you trusted the most lied to you about who you are and what you're really capable of? But don't worry, when the time is right I'll make sure you can get your revenge on all of them."

"What the hell did you do to me?" the fiery girl asked. "What are all of the… images that you've put into my head?"

Fate chuckled, "Images? No, they're your memories, the ones that Nagi and Takahata have repressed. Don't you remember your life before you met them princess?"

Asuna blinked, fighting back the rush of memories that Fate had somehow unlocked. "No…"

"Yes princess," Fate smiled a wicked gleam in his eyes. "You're the last of Ostia's Royal family. Once I've completed repairing the ruined Gateport I'll kill you. Your death will destroy the remains of Ostia, and your blood will be used to open the Gate. Using the power of the Spirit World I'll be able to destroy anyone who dares to stand in my way in both the Magical World and the Old World."

"The Spirit World is only a stupid myth," Anya shouted. "Only stupid little kids believe that it exists."

Fate laughed manically. "How truly ignorant of you," he finally stated. "Of course you stupid humans who only live a century at best would think of the Spirit World as only a stupid myth – adventures of today become history, history becomes legend, legend becomes myth. But for those of us who are ageless myths are simply the things we did yesterday."

Ranma snapped awake, the feel of something warm pressed against her, rousing her from her short nap. Now completely conscious she could tell that she was sandwiched between two much smaller figures, ruling out Akira and Kaede. Listening to their shallow breathing she smiled – Setsuna and Konoka. Content to simply lay in bed with the two Ranma closed her eyes as she focused on the fleeting vision she'd just had.

Quietly focusing she created a feather clone. With the real Asuna still fresh in her mind she sent the duplicate after Chamo. With the ermine's keen nose hopefully she'd be able to find just where Fate was holding Asuna and Anya.

*****

Urborg was full of curious and eager fans as talk of the spectacular fights from the opening round of the Ostia Championship Tournament. Sponsored and hosted by Purraj, Team Negima's three fighters could be seen mingling with the various customers, most of whom were fans of the founding members of the team. Quad (as Nagi) and Trip (as Kojirou) were enjoying themselves as they fielded questions about what they liked and why they had chosen their newest member to debut in the opening round of the tournament.

"Ranko's a really strong fighter," Kojirou stated as several fans swarmed around them.

"She did beat Raksha and Crimson by herself," a blond beast girl admitted.

"But why have only one member fight the opening bout?" a horned beast girl asked.

"We didn't want Team Rakan to show that they're the only team with strong fighters," Nagi explained. "I know that any of us could have fought and won, but since no one's seen Ranko fight yet we figured that having her debut in the opening round was a good idea."

_Those are good clones_, Hakkon sent Ranma. _They're very convincing. If not for the fact that I know your scent I'd have thought they were real_.

Eyeing her drink Ranko simply shrugged. "Isn't it kinda odd for two teams that are going to be facing each other tomorrow to be hanging out?"

"Not really," Jedit replied. "I told you that Jareth wanted to take the Urborg's Cloud Chaser Challenge. Besides, many of the top teams are pretty friendly with each other, but being in Ostia makes it much easier because they have the no fighting rule and encourage friendly challenges like the Cloud Chaser Challenge for prize fighters to give them something to brag about."

"So most of the competitors are prize fighters?" Ryoga asked as he eyed the black drink that Irini shoved at him. "What's that?"

"Lakni Blood," the dwarf replied. "It's a mix of frodi juice, midnight fruit, and puca ale. The girls at table seven bought it for you."

Turning to look in the opposite direction that the dwarf had pointed at the lost boy's eyes bulged as he looked at the fearsome demonic women. Putting her hand on her rival's shoulder Ranko turned Ryoga towards the appropriate table (having gotten used to which table was which after listening to the Mahora girls as they worked the various tables and assisted Purraj). Spotting the lovely older beast women Ryoga blushed as he grabbed Ranko's drink (Amoeboid Ale, an alcoholic brew that temporarily changed you into the form of the first person you saw) and turned into the lovely long haired beast woman eyeing Ryoga. Handing the lost boy the actual drink that the table had bought him, Ranko watched as the beast woman walked over to Ryoga. Slamming the drink (without even realizing that he'd turned into the woman and then back to his original form) Ryoga's eyes bulged as the strong alcohol in the drinks hit his head.

Casting her eyes at her clones Ranko was glad that the Nagi and Kojirou's fans' tastes ran more along the lines of fruity drinks with little alcohol (as she was not looking forward to the combined hangover from her drinks as well as the clones' drinks) and apparently no side effects (like changing into someone else, breathing fired, breathing ice, or love potions).

"Hmmm," Irini hemmed.

"What?" Ranko asked. In her short time with the head bartender of the Urborg the martial artist knew that whenever the dwarf hemmed that something was up.

"Table thirteen ordered a round of Velis Vel."

Looking over at Quad's table Ranko eyed the mix of young girls around the fake Nagi. "So?"

"Velis Vel is considered an aphrodisiac," the dwarf explained. "While it doesn't affect your hormones, it does allow you to temporarily see through the clothes of those closest to you."

"That's not too bad," Jedit chimed in. "Compared to Nightsky Puca, Velis Vel is pretty tame."

"Nightsky Puca is a drink that you share with your lover," Irini explained. "It lets you share the feelings and sensations that your lover is experiencing."

Ranko shuddered. That would be more then she could handle.

"Anyways," Hakkon interrupted, "it's not unusual for prize fighters and their teams to hang out with other teams. There aren't that many places that cater specifically to prize fighters. There are places just for bounty hunters, mercenaries, adventurers, merchants, smiths, whatever you do, there's a place just for you."

"So why are you here?" the redhead asked.

"I'm here as a fan and friend of prize fighters," the incubus smiled. "Plus I'm here to put my money down on tomorrow's bouts. Team Negima's favored of course given your performance against the Wicked Redeemers. Good thing I don't bet on teams that I'm friendly with – I'd hate to have to blame either you or Jedit for losing any of my hard earned money."

Shot glass in the air, Hakkon smiled. "To your continued success – may you fight the good fight and may you all continue to win!"

Ranko and Jedit both lifted their glasses to the toast. The gentle clang of glass resonated as prize fighters from various teams joined the toast. Slamming his Halfdane's Avenger (a hard wine made from a turnip-like plant and with ginger stuffed into the bottle) the cursed martial artist couldn't help but think that he was going to miss Ostia and the magic world. Where else could he fight so hard and still make so many friends and good companions? He definitely couldn't do that in Nerima or with the rest of the wrecking crew, though Ryoga was turning out to be a good drinking buddy.

Sighing contently Ranko accepted another glass (this one from a bottle of thick, dark yellowish liquid with a hydra's head in the bottle). "To the good fight!" she shouted.

*****

The feel of several tons having dropped on her head or having endured several hundred of Ryoga's punches to the back of her head greeted Ranko as she slowly pried her eyes open. The bright lights quickly forced her to reconsider her desire to want to open her eyes and see where she currently was. Slowly extending her other senses Ranko huffed as she realized she was in her female form. Head currently in someone's lap, judging from the feel of the muscle tone and size of the legs she had to guess it was either Takane or Akira. Inhaling deeply she caught the light scent of lilac – definitely Takane.

"Morning," the blond whispered.

"Um," the redhead replied.

"It's just after 5am," the shadow mage stated. "Nagi and Kojirou managed to make it back to the suite after the second round of toasts; I guess that when they dispelled during the third or fourth round of shots because you passed out just after that."

"Hm," the cursed girl groaned.

A gentle hand caressed her face as her lover slowly migrated towards her lips. "Purraj suggested you take these," Takane explained as she parted Ranko's lips, inserting a small pill into Ranko's mouth.

Taking the pill the pigtailed girl felt the shadow mage slip a straw into her mouth. Sipping the lukewarm bitter tea she filled her mouth before swallowing hard.

With no experience with dealing with a hangover or magic healing, the gender changing martial artist half expecting to be suddenly cured of the ill effects of consuming too much liquor. Though she could think a bit clearer and her head didn't feel like her directionless rival had been using it as a personal punching bag for the past couple of hours, Ranko could still feel a slight grogginess.

"Hnnn," she sighed, slowly trying to pull herself out of the comfortable lap of her blond lover.

"Ryoga started throwing up after the third round," Takane explained. "Purraj had Bartel Runeaxe (one of the Urborg's bouncers) bring him up to your suite; Yuna and Ku Fei are looking after him right now."

The sound of a familiar groan from the other side of the room confirmed what the blond had told her.

An hour and with a hearty meal placed before them, Ranko and Ryoga were dealing with their lingering hangovers as best at the two inexperienced young men could.

"Man, you lucked out," Ryoga stated as he munched on some breakfast.

"Huh?" the pigtailed girl replied.

"You're fighting guys this round," the bandana wearing youth replied.

Biting down on her weird omelet Ranko nodded. "Ryoga, you just have to learn to fight girls," Ranko replied. "I mean, you fight with me often enough. Just think of me when you're fighting them. On the upside nudity is banned, so the enchantresses won't be flashing you purposely just to distract you."

The sound of silverware hitting the bar or floor echoed in the fairly empty Urborg as several Mahora girls quickly turned their heads to look at Ranko. A slight shiver ran up and down her spine.

"You really are a moron," Ryoga stated, "with no sense of feminine modesty at all."

Only Sayo tripping accidentally as the ghost girl in a totem body managed to deflect attention away from the fighters as the other Mahora girls reluctantly tended to their downed member.

"You really are a moron," Ryoga repeated.

"Shut up," Ranko muttered.

Eating in silence the pair of rivals finished their breakfast before their escorts arrived. Due to the number of people who might have interests in assisting one team to win or to prevent others from winning, the city's governing counsel had taken to assigning a team of peace keepers to escort the prize fighting teams to the arena.

"Ranko!" the armored girl shouted.

Looking up at the Urborg's entrance the redheaded girl recognized the voice.

"Emily Sevensheep," Ranko returned, greeting the first member of the Valkryie Brigade. "So you've been assigned to be our escort?"

"Actually," the brunette Beatrix interjected, "we've been assigned to escort Team Rakan."

"But if you're all heading to the arena I don't see a problem with escorting Team Negima there," Emily amended.

"We just have to wait for Nagi and Kojirou to get down here," the redhead said.

"But they haven't eaten yet," Irini objected.

"Could you have plate of this ready for them?" Ranko asked. "Pack this up for me while I go get them."

Not waiting for a response Ranko headed for the stairs. Reaching their suite she quickly created two feather clones. Splashing them with warm water so that Trip and Quad were able to transform into their male forms she watched as the two turned into identical copies of Nagi and Kojirou.

"Okay guys, you know the drill," the cursed martial artist said as she led her copies back down. "I'll take on Jedit's team you two just keep the fan-girls occupied."

Behind her Quad and Trip nodded as they slowly tried to get into character. Only a few more days until the real Nagi and Kojirou returned. Hopefully Duce would be able to find Asuna and Anya before the pair returned.

*****

The roar of the crowds greeted Ryoga once again as he stepped into the arena. Once again the opening bout for the day (due to placement in the brackets) he represented his team against the all female Team Yavimaya.

"And here are Ashling and Azami representing Team Yavimaya," Sasha shouted to a chorus of hoots from the males in attendance. It was no wonder given the low cut robes that barely hid the curves of busty human wizard and the wood nymph enchantress. "Team Yavimaya is definitely going for speed here against Team Rakan."

Ranko watched as the women opposing her rival eyed the bandana wearing fighter. This would either be very interesting or very boring.

"And Azami opens up with a powerful Stone Rain," the succubus announced. "But Ryoga counters with some technique – did he just shatter those boulders? I've never seen anyone do that before!

"Even though Ryoga managed to thwart Azami's attack he allowed Ashling to cast her spell. Unfortunately we don't know what it is as nothing appears to be happening, perhaps she's merely laid the groundwork for some elaborate trap.

"Regardless Ryoga takes the offensive. Wow! He's picked up those boulders that Azami conjured and is tossing them back at their creator. Ryoga's rushing in, and there's Ashling's enchantment!"

Around the bandana wearing fighter thick, barbed foliage suddenly grew, obstructing Ryoga's view of his opponents and preventing him from charging into close combat.

"It looks like he's stuck in side the foliage! Oh, and Azami is conjuring a giant fireball," Sasha announced. "She's ignited the foliage that Ryoga's trapped inside of. But Ryoga breaks out losing only some of his armor."

For nearly half an hour the pattern continued – Azami casting a spell that distracted Ryoga from Ashling's trap, Ryoga rushing in and triggering the trap, then Azami following up with another attack only to have Ryoga escape.

Fortunately for Ryoga the arena was essentially flat and left little cover for his opponents to hide in or for him to get lost within. Though the arena floor was essentially destroyed Ryoga had spent little energy compared to his opponents as he had simply run around the arena chasing after them.

"It looks like Team Yavimaya is calling the match," Sasha cried out, slightly bored with the bout herself. "After half an hour of fighting and not being able to get a good shot in against Ryoga they know they're running out of steam. I'm pretty sure they know that with what little they have left they couldn't hope to put down the tank known as Ryoga Hibiki or take a good punch from the powerhouse."

The crowd reluctantly cheered, mostly glad to have the boring bout over, others glad to finally claim their winnings. Four more lack luster but much quicker matches followed, each rousing the crowd with impressive or flashy finishes.

Though part of her dreaded her fight with Jedit's Dragoons, Ranko knew that she needed to get Team Negima to the finals. If Negi couldn't make it to the finals to fight Jack and win, then their chances of getting back to Japan and defeating Fate would be greatly decreased.

"And Team Negima once again fields only their newest member," Sasha announced to a smaller and less vocal chorus of boos. Apparently Nagi and Kojirou's talk with several ardent fans at the Urborg combined with Ranko's strong performance in the opening round had swayed a good portion of the fans upset with the female fighter's presence on the team.

"But it is odd that Jedit's Dragoons is only fielding their team captain," the succubus added as Jedit appeared on the opposite end of the arena. "We've seen how some teams have strategized against their lone opponents, but for Jedit's Dragoons to send just one member against the lone fighter from Team Negima is truly baffling."

Clearly the fans and bookies were not giving Jedit a chance against Ranko. Given all that she'd accomplished against the infamous Raksha and team captain Crimson, it wasn't hard to believe that she was clearly favored to win.

Bowing to each other the two fighters quickly rushed in, ignoring the referee's whistle and the continuing commentary from the announcer. Even the crowd was caught off guard by the sudden action.

Opening with a powerful roar, Jedit waited for Ranko to react. Leaping over the powerful blast the redhead continued to charge into close range only to have her opponent lash out with a swift slash with his claws.

Now in close combat Ranko resorted to her normal strategy of dodging while trying to work her way past Jedit's guard. Despite the larger warriors reach advantage Ranko was able to slip past his striking range as she avoided his sweeping kicks and swipes.

With his reach advantage gone Jedit quickly shifted to quicker, less powerful attacks as he fought to keep Ranko on the defensive.

The redhead couldn't help but smile as her opponent switched tactics. Though she had been on the defensive for the entirety of the short fight she was truly enjoying it despite her bad history with Jedit. Unlike her fight with the murderous and devious Crimson, her match with Jedit was simply a contest between two skilled fighters despite the fact that the two had had a grudge against each other over a week ago.

Avoiding an elbow that was followed up with a knee strike Ranko reached past Jedit's guard with a counter kick that ruffled the larger fighter's shirt. Trading near hits that shredded each other's armor and clothes, the two fighters jockeyed for position as they slowly traversed over the now uneven arena floor (debris from the prior fights having been cleared out, but the floor had not been leveled, leaving several trenches and holes in the once immaculate arena).

Ranko jumped back, avoiding a powerful knee and the follow up kick from Jedit. Lashing out with a quick back round house kick that used the little kinetic energy from her opponent's kick against him, she ignored the light breeze of air as she spun around.

Unable to connect with the counter she shook her head slightly as she rushed back in. Clearly Jedit was not willing to leave any openings as he attacked her. Using his height and reach to keep her grounded he was also able to keep her just outside of his guard. His larger, well muscled limbs and sharp, spiky fur also kept her from grabbing hold of him whenever he attacked, thus eliminating that option.

Resigned to the fact that she would not be able to best him with a solid knockout punch Ranko quickly adjusted her own strategy. Rolling under a hard knee she tapped the ground, infusing it with ki as she etched an unnoticed Nephalim seal. Repeating the process several times she slowly lured Jedit into her trap. Purposely leaving herself open for a powerful elbow strike she blocked the blow before falling back, pulling Jedit off balance.

Just as expected the experienced fighter quickly regained his composure as he stepped onto one of the ki infused mines. Jedit's magical barrier reacted badly to Ranko's ki mine, triggering a quick series of explosions that befuddled and confused the large fighter. Rushing in Ranko quickly landed a series of kicks to her opponent's stomach and chest, lifting him off the ground.

Stunned by the attacks Jedit lashed out blindly and instinctively, barely missing with a wild swipe as Ranko connected with a flip kick to the larger fighter's chin.

"And Jedit is rocked by a powerful kick!" Sasha shouted as the crowd roared.

Panting, Ranko smiled as the referee blinked then began the twenty-count.

Hoots and whistles greeted each count. Having been booed the last time Ranko thought nothing of the crowd's reaction. Thinking nothing of the roars and cheers she lifted her arms in victory as the referee declared her the winner.

Feeling a slight breeze the redhead looked down as it dawned on her that she'd had the front of her shirt shredded by the razor sharp claws of her opponent during their fight, revealing her perky assets. For once Ranko felt some feminine modesty as she covered her breasts and ran from the arena.

*****

A/N

That's it for this chapter. Hope you all liked it.

Some of you may have noticed that I've started up another fic and posted a poll relating to it. I'll still continue to work on this fic, but don't be surprised if I don't update each fic as regularly as I have in the past.

Please check out _One Half Tenjou, One Half Tenge_. And please review!

Dreamingfox


	29. Chapter 29

Author's Notes –

I of course do not own any of the characters, concepts, or rights to anything from Ranma ½ or Negima. This is a work of fanfiction that borrows such (with a few Original Characters of my own) that is intended for entertainment purposes only – I'm not getting anything from writing this other then the simple pleasure of writing and having others enjoy (or dislike) what I have posted.

Thanks of course to the many people who have read and reviewed this fic. I'm happy to say that I finally reached 300 reviews, though I must admit, I was hoping to do it sooner.

Thanks as always to my beta readers – Teturo, Lance, KitsuneOverlord, and Kamen Rider Den-O; without whom I wouldn't be able to keep track of some of the various elements in the fic.

Please read and review.

*****

Though the second day of the Ostia Championship Tournament had fewer matches then the opening day the fights lasted nearly as long. Despite each team having earned the right to compete in the tournament it was clear that some teams were much better then others thus allowing one team to overwhelm the other in the opening round. But the second day's matches had proven to be much more balanced and some teams had been prepared for their opponents (like the Team Yavimaya had been for Ryoga).

Still, with fewer matches visitors, vendors, merchants, and Ostian natives were better able to enjoy the festivities and fighters were able to spend more time strategizing and preparing for their next match or for lounging at the bars and taverns.

Akira had other plans. Though part of her wanted to see Ranko's fight, she knew that the gender changing cursed martial artist was going to win. With the slight lull at the Urborg (as most people were at the arena) the lithe swimmer decided to do some shopping. With Ako, Makie, Yuna, and Natsumi in hand the quintet set off to enjoy the presently thin crowds.

After spending several hours shopping the girls reluctantly returned to the Urborg. With only an hour until the early dinner rush began and the fights supposedly ending soon, it wouldn't take long for the Urborg to fill up to maximum capacity as it had the previous night. Clutching the charm she'd purchased just for Ranma, Akira hoped that it would be just what the cursed martial artist wanted.

*****

The light buzz of chatter filled the Urborg as it once again hosted a full compliment of guests and patrons. Unlike previous years when the tavern and inn had simply been full of dejected fans and prize fighters, the tavern was full of devoted fans of one of the newest and most popular teams in the tournament. As the sponsor for Team Negima Purraj had not expected the rookie team to have such a large fan base so soon, much less that they would have won the Granicus tournament. For the first time ever she had backed a team that had earned a spot in the Championship Tournament. Now she and her inn were host to the legions of fanatic fan-girls (and a few fan-boys now that Ranko had joined their team), a much different crowd then she had been used to hosting during the Ostia Annual Festival. Still, she couldn't complain.

Gone were the drunken half hearted banter of losing prize fighters (though there were more then a few of them around) and their usual cries for vengeance and revenge next year. Instead there was laughter and cheers for the victorious teams and fighters. Even Jedit's Dragoons, who had lost in the second round to Team Negima and who had been sitting at the bar the previous night with Ranko, had returned despite their loss. In a rare show of sportsmanship the two teams were drinking merrily, both with each other and with their gathered fans.

The light chatter quickly dissipated as an ominous figure entered the tavern. All eyes slowly turned towards the large and well muscled dark skinned man standing in the doorway – Jack Rakan, the legendary warrior, master of a thousand blades had arrived.

"A round of Salazar's Elixir of Life for everyone!" the infamous fighter shouted.

Cheers quickly ran through the tavern as the waitresses rushed to the bar to fill the order. Purraj was glad to have the extra hands from Akira and the others. Though the fan girls had initially not taken well to having such cute girls around Nagi and Kojirou, they had eventually come to terms with the girls as they shared insider information on the two fighters.

After an hour of drinking and exchanging tales of their exploits the members of Team Rakan and Team Negima retreated to their rooms; Ranko, Nagi, and Kojirou to their suites while Rakan and Ryoga headed back to where ever their rooms were. Even with the main attractions to the Urborg gone the majority of the crowd remained behind to enjoy the good company and atmosphere.

Unable to sleep Ranko drank some water before sitting down in a lotus position and cleared her mind to meditate. Slowly she dispelled her clones individually so as not to overload her mind and body with thoughts/experiences and alcohol. With Trip (Nagi) and Quad (Kojirou) being in the same room as her most of the night it wasn't too much information to absorb. The sudden and unexpected dissipation on Duce who was with Chamo was a surprise though. Taking in the information Ranko took a deep, calming breath.

Opening her eyes the cursed martial artist found herself in a barren field. A cold sun dimly illuminated the desolate wind ravaged landscape. Spotting several buildings in the distance Ranma took to the air. Fighting the stiff winds she made her way towards the ruined village. Even from the air she failed to find any signs of life as she neared the buildings. Strong winds greeted her as she approached the village, forcing her to land and walk the rest of the distance.

Reaching the outer wall, which was in fact just a meter high rock wall, and the large archway at the front of the village Ranma felt a long dormant power. Empty save for the vacant buildings, the village was completely void of any life. Making her way towards the large stone structure in the center of the village she knew that she'd seen something like it before.

Arm extended, she reached out to touch the seals on the stone slab only to find that instead of being hard and cold it was warm and soft.

"Ranko!" Setsuna shouted before jumping back.

Snapping her eyes open the cursed martial artist's eyes bulged as she realized just what she'd reached out and grabbed.

"Sorry, I must have been asleep," she apologized to the blushing girl.

"Oh, and just what were you dreaming about?" Konoka teased as she leaned over and kissed the still sitting Ranko.

"Well, I was exploring a village and reached out to touch a large rock," the redhead hastily explained.

"I'm pretty sure that wasn't a rock that you grabbed hold of," the smaller girl teased.

"We came to let you know that Kotaro is back from his training," Setsuna said as she continued to refuse to meet Ranko's eyes. "He'll be staying in here with you, so make sure you aren't inviting anyone over."

Ranko blinked then blushed, clearly understanding just what the swordswoman was alluding to. With Negi and Kotaro having spent the past few days training the cursed martial artist had had the suite all to herself, thus allowing her various lovers to sneak in at night for some cuddling and kissing (but nothing more as Ranma did not want to test the limits of the Fertility mark). Only the previous night had been an exception to that rule as the liquor had knocked her out (at least that was all that she could remember) after she had managed to get to her room.

"Yo," Kotaro smiled as he walked into the room.

"Hey runt," the cursed martial artist replied. "Done with your training already?"

The dog hanyo nodded as he walked over to his bed. Throwing down his small bundle of things he grinned, "Yep, I've reached a whole new level. I guess you can take it easy tomorrow."

"Nah," Ranko shook her head. "I'll still be part of the match, but I step in if I you can't hold your own. Just let Chisame know so she and Purraj can register the change in our lineup."

"We'll go tell her," Konoka said as she dragged Setsuna out of the room. "We have to get back downstairs anyways."

Kotaro shrugged at the girls' hasty retreat. To young to know about the adult things that men and women did, the hanyo simply sat down on his bed.

"Hey!" a familiar voice cried out from underneath the hanyo.

"Oh," Kotaro said sheepishly as he quickly sat up. "I forgot that you were there."

The ermine quickly emerged from the small bag of things that the young demon had brought with him. Standing up on his hind legs the ermine shook his head.

"Why don't you go take a bath," Chamo said as he ran away from the smelly dog demon. "You smell like you've spent several days training and didn't even bother to take a bath."

Kotaro eyed the ermine as he lifted his arm and sniffed his armpit. "Fine, I'll go take a bath."

"Make sure you change into Kojirou first," the ermine added, not wanting the boy to blow the group's cover.

Sighing, Kotaro grabbed a magical pill from his pack. Tossing it into the air he caught it in his mouth, triggering the instantaneous change into his older persona.

Eyes closed Ranko waited for Kojirou to leave before opening them again. Waiting a few minutes for the younger boy to reach the stairs Ranko nodded.

"So, what did your clone let you know?" Chamo asked.

"You found the rough area where the girls' scent disappears," Ranko stated. "It appears that there is a dimensional pocket, similar to Szadeck's lair, where Fate and his crew are holed up."

The ermine nodded, confirming the information.

"I think I know what they're trying to do," Ranma stated. "He's trying to use the Gateport to the spirit world, but for what I'm not sure."

"Spirit world, that's only a myth," the ermine said, dismissing the notion.

Ranko shook her head, "Just hear me out. You know that ki and mana are two different sources of energy, one is spiritual the other is magical in origin. Demons and wizards use mana for their magic, but angels, Nephalim, and fighters like myself use ki to power our attacks. And while it's possible to use both, only humans can both, and few of those can do so without hurting themselves since the two are so combustive when combined.

"But when you think about it, it's probably because the two are opposites that shouldn't normally be mixed together. Spirit balances out magic, ki balances out mana, and angels to balance out demons. So if there's a magical world, then there should be a spirit world too."

Chamo nodded as he followed the young man's simple logic.

"Remember when we fought Fate in the Gateport? I'm sure that the facility would be able to detect high level cloaking magic, but what if it was ki spell that hid Fate and his group?" Ranko asked. "What if he created a pocket dimension similar to the one that I do to store my stuff? I mean, no one knew that I had a pactio card at the time and I kept it in stuff space – a pocket dimension created through the use of ki energy. Why couldn't Fate and his group do something like that? I mean, we've seen Kaede do it with her artifact, what if Fate created a similar effect with ki?"

The ermine blinked, "Since there aren't many high level ki users in the world no one's bothered to put up ki detecting spells or wards, especially since they're very difficult to put up in the first place."

"So it's not impossible, just unheard of," Ranko finished.

"But what doe he want with the Gateport?" Chamo asked. "Not to mention Asuna? Why is she so important?"

Ranko opened her mouth to speak, but found that she couldn't say anything. Her strong sense of honor and duty prevented her from telling Chamo anything that the legendary fighter had told her. "I don't know, maybe she's just a hostage or spy, the only one the Fate and his group managed to get that day."

Nodding his head Chamo appeared to buy that excuse.

"Anyways, now that I know where they're roughly at I can send a few clones to keep an eye on the area," Ranko stated as she tried to redirect the flow of the conversation. "I'll have them explore the area too, just in case there's something that we've missed or overlooked."

The ermine nodded again.

With the strategy session apparently over the two nodded at each other before parting ways.

Closing her eyes again, Ranko focused her thoughts as she drifted back into a meditative state.

*****

Despite Ryoga's quick victory for Team Rakan in the third round it was Kojirou's return and subsequent victory for Team Negima that was the talk of Ostia during the fourth day of the festival. Though Ranko had been present (and even participated in the battle) it was Kojirou who had initiated the ensuing fight. Quickly dispatching the skilled shadow mage and the large panther demon Kojirou had managed to defeat one of the higher ranked teams all by himself.

The semi-final rounds later that day had been decided relatively quickly as well as both Team Rakan and Team Negima had won quickly despite a good showing by their opponents. Now with two days free until the Championship bout Ostia was abuzz with speculation over just who would win.

Even though he enjoyed being around everyone Ranma couldn't help but feel like he needed to get out. Assigning Duce to keep everyone distracted the cursed martial artist slipped out of the Urborg in search of some fresh air. Though he trusted in Negi and Kotaro's ability to win, the skilled martial artist couldn't help but think that it wouldn't be an easy win.

Finding a quiet perch on a terrace overlooking the festive city Ranma found himself soaking in the warm multicolored lights and lanterns that were strung up throughout Ostia. Eyes closed he took a deep breath, relaxing his nerves and mind as he did so.

The sudden discharge of a silenced rifle disrupted the tranquil setting as the cursed martial artist reflexively snatched the rubber bullets out of the air. Sensing the direction that the attack had come from Ranma opened his eyes.

"Ranma," the dark haired and skinned beauty smiled.

"Mana," the pigtailed young man returned. Blinking, he realized that he wasn't too surprised to see her. "I thought I saw you the other day. Still using an air gun?"

"You really do have good eyes," the mercenary replied.

"I think I've just started to notice things more," he corrected. "Part of me noted seeing you, but obviously I didn't think anything of it until you tried to jump me."

The dark haired mercenary nodded then took the seat across from Ranma.

"You've changed," she finally said. "You're taller, have longer hair, and your features are a bit different. I didn't recognize you at first. If not for the way that you move I wouldn't have realize it was you at all."

"So what are you doing here?" he asked. "Last I heard you weren't part of the group that went to England."

Mana smiled as she relaxed in her seat across from the cursed young man. "I didn't come through the Welsh gate."

Leaning back Ranma yawned. "So you came through the Japanese gate."

The dark skinned girl nodded. "The headmaster wanted us to meet up with Negi and the girls, but we didn't get there until after the attack had started. By the time we realized what was going on all of you had vanished. I know that you got into a fight but we didn't know with who; but what happened?"

Ranma let out a slight sigh.

"Well, we were all separated by Fate," he began.

It was nearly midnight when Ranma finally finished retelling the mercenary of the group's adventures. Omitting only what Jack had told him, the cursed boy hoped that Mana wouldn't be able to give him some insight on things with her fresh perspective.

"So Fate kidnapped Asuna," another voice said. The distinct smell of cigarette smoke hinted at the identity of the new presence.

"Takahata," the cursed youth said as he turned to face the tall blond.

"Long time no see Ranma," the teacher replied as he put his cancer stick to his lips. Taking a long drag of his cigarette he seated himself. "So, what's Jack told you?"

Ranma blinked. "You know Rakan?"

The blond chuckled. "Of course I know him, I used to travel and fight with the Red Wings. Those of us who survived the war each made a binding promise to Nagi."

Eyeing Mana, Ranma wasn't sure just how much he was allowed to say in her presence.

"Sorry Mana, this is a conversation that you'll have to sit out," the blond stated.

With a reluctant bow Mana excused herself, clearly not happy that she was not privy to the sensitive information.

"I'm impressed," Takahata finally said after making sure that their privacy would not be invaded. "For Jack to recognize you as someone he could trust is no small feat. Just what did you do to earn his trust?"

"I beat him up," Ranma stated. Seeing the clearly dubious look on the blond teacher's face it was clear that Takahata didn't quite believe him. Slowly the older man took another drag off of his cigarette.

"Wow, I didn't think anyone but Nagi could do that," the blond finally conceded. "Regardless he trusts you with the knowledge that Negi is Asuna's nephew."

"I also know that Asuna's got angelic blood," Ranma added. "She's the last of Ostia's royalty."

"How did you find out?" Takahata asked.

"I've been through the library of a day walker," the cursed youth explained.

The blond nodded, "Szadeck."

"So she's a princess, what does she have to do with the Ostian Gateport?" the puzzled martial artist asked.

"I'm sure you know that Ostia's Gateport is linked to the spirit world and not to the other Gateports in the magical and old world," the blond said as he lit another cigarette. "But only an angel or a member of Ostia's royal family can open the gate. Regardless of his power level Fate can't open the gate."

Ranma blinked, the information he'd gathered finally falling into place. "Fate's not a Nephalim," he muttered. "He's a Peri. That's why he needs Asuna."

"Peri?" the blond repeated.

"The descendant of a fallen angel," Ranma explained. "Szadeck had several scrolls filled with the names of the fallen angels and their descendants, the Peri. Most of them were killed, each coupled with the name of the Nephalim or demon that killed them. There was one powerful Peri, Tertium, who has managed to avoid being killed.

"When the angels fell they had their wings ripped off as a sign of their disgrace," the pigtailed boy added. "Even their descendants bore their stain, each having been born with scars on their backs where their wings would have grown."

"So only those with wings can open the gates to the spirit world," Takahata theorized.

"Yeah," Ranma said. "But for Asuna's wings to appear…"

"What, what doe she need for her wings to appear?" the blond asked urgently.

"Not everyone with angelic blood grows wings," Ranma stated. "Only those who have reached a sufficient power level receive wings, and even then it's usually a traumatic event that brings out their wings. Something like a near death experience. But if I'm right, she's going to release a large amount of energy."

"Then we can use that to find her," Takahata said.

Clearly Asuna meant a lot to her former sensei. Why else would he be grasping for any small chance that they could rescue her.

"If I'm right, it's enough to wipe out all of Ostia," Ranma stated. That was what was wrong with Raksha, he was slowly absorbing more mana then necessary but it wasn't just affecting him, it was affecting the large amount of ki that was being stored inside of him.

"The release of ki isn't destructive, but when you consider all the ambient mana in the area…" and that wasn't even taking into consideration all the magic users in Ostia. Things had worked out relatively well in the Wyvern's Nest because of all the arenak that limited the amount of mana and magic that the bounty hunters could draw upon and use, but if it hadn't been for the mana nullifying ore things would have been worse.

"So what do we do?" Takahata finally asked, clearly knowing what Ranma was alluding to.

"Nothing," Ranma replied. "You do nothing for now. For now we're just going to have to wait for Fate to make his move. All we can do is prepare ourselves and make sure we're ready."

Steeling himself the blond nodded. Standing up he bowed slightly before leaving.

Sitting alone Ranma no longer took comfort in the colorful display of festive lights. Only three days until Fate would make his move; leaving him with only one day to reverse the seal and one more to put it in place without being notice.

If you ever asked anyone in Furinkan High no one who knew Ranma would have used the words "studious" or "well read" to describe the pigtailed martial artist. The cursed martial artist had long ago accepted that his tendencies to sleep as well as misbehave and even miss classes in favor of training trips and the subsequent fights involved had proved to everyone that Ranma did not take academics seriously. That was not to say that Ranma was not intelligent, simply not motivated.

While it was not unusual to see the pigtailed martial artist reading through scrolls full of techniques and fighting styles, it was unusual to see him reading anything else (except manga). Today was one of those rare days.

Reading through countless texts and historical scrolls (with the help of all but one of his clones as Duce was and Duo were maintaining a discreet watch on the area where he suspected Fate was) regarding why Ostia floated through the clouds and historical text explaining the Great War and Ostia's role in the war. Then there were the clones working to breakdown the Nephalim equation to convert mana to ki. While he knew what the equation did, he didn't exactly know how. That knowledge was the key to his plan.

With his limits pushed, Ranma (and the many copies of him) would normally have found it difficult to stay awake while reading. If not for the Restless curse he probably would have fallen asleep. Though there were countless words to describe him, dedicated was one word that he exemplified when he had something he was working towards. It was his dedication to Negi and the Mahora girls (and Kotaro) that pushed him forward as he read through the boring texts.

For two days the streets of Ostia were filled to capacity as the travelers and fighters visited the many vendors and merchants. Without any sanctioned fights the festival goes were forced to resort to several smaller competitions like the Urborg Challenge and other food and drinking challenges and games were being held throughout the city to keep them occupied and entertained.

Despite all of that (and the nice weather) Ranma and his clones were inside Ostia's Grand Library. Diligently reading, debating, and even nearly coming to blows with one of his clones, Ranma spent the entire day working at a furious pace.

As dawn broke on the sixth day of the festival and the second straight day with no fights, Ranma settled on a plan. Without a full mastery of the mana to ki equation, the cursed martial artist was forced to rely on a back up plan. Facing his self-imposed deadline, Ranma sighed. Assigning each clone a task the cursed martial artist set out to enjoy the last days of the festival.

* * * * *

Anya couldn't help but cheer as she watched the replay of Team Negima's fights on the giant screen before her. For one it was good to see just how powerful Kojirou and Ranko (Kotaro and Ranma respectively) were. It also helped that her cheering annoyed the hell out of Fate and his crew of girls.

"Can I shut her up, please?" the dark haired cat girl pleaded.

"Leave her be," Fate replied, focusing his attention on the fights being displayed. "Shiori, how much longer until Asuna is ready?"

"She should be ready by tomorrow Master," the young blond girl replied. "The Princess has a strong threshold for pain, but she is close to breaking."

The white haired youth smiled. "Good, I want to have her ready by the time the Championship bout starts."

* * * * *

Quinn was really enjoying himself. As the third copy of Ranma he was used to running odd errands for the original. Tasks such as flying out to inspect damaged Gateports, reading various scrolls and texts, were starting to wear on the clone. Then again, they were probably wearing on the original as well. But today, today was different. This task Quinn was really looking forward to.

The feel of Akira's hand in his as she lead him through Ostia to see the sights made all of those other menial tasks worthwhile. She really was a beautiful sight to in her elegant summer dress.

Across the plaza Quad was enjoying herself as well as she was sandwiched between Setsuna and Konoka on a bench. Enjoying the magical world's version of a Ferris Wheel, the trio of girls was enjoying the sights as well, though Quad was just enjoying feeling the two smaller girls pressed up against her.

On a terrace high above the plaza Six was enjoying his date with Takane, though he couldn't help but think that someone would soon be arresting them for their indecent (though highly discreet) public lovemaking session. It did help that he was standing behind her as they appeared to be looking down at the city below them.

Seven was enjoying his date with the fake Asuna as well. While the idea of a clone and a copy of their respective originals was humorous to the clone at first, and Seven couldn't help but admire the fine craftsmanship that went into making the fake Asuna. Pitting their skills against each other the clone and the copy took turns picking various festival games and challenging the other to see just who could get the better prize.

Despite having to contend with two women at once, Ranma (the original) was also enjoying his date with Kaede and Kazumi (who wouldn't want to be sandwiched between the two buxom beauties). While the two girls were very different, they also seemed to be the most compatible in other ways as well. Both were very sneaky and could easily blend in or hide their presences due to the nature of their activities.

Nodoka was having a hard time following the thoughts of all the Seven Samurai. Having long ago given up the search for the real Asuna (as Ranma had told her that he would be taking care of that himself) the mousy librarian had once again resumed her duty of spying on her classmates and Takane for the internet Idol and the other conspirators.

"Why don't you just try to follow Ranma?" Haruna suggested.

"Have you seen how many clones he has?" Nodoka replied.

"Ranma has one big book for him despite the number of clones he has," Chisame explained. Things weren't too bad for the internet idol as she could have her avatars help her follow the thoughts of each girl and put their thoughts down into separate electronic documents for her to read through later. "With all his clones it's like being barraged by thoughts as each one has a different tangent thought but they all appear at the same time, making it that much harder to follow. Even though they each have identified themselves differently, they're still all Ranma at heart. It would be like reading the thoughts of several ADHD kids at once."

Paru nodded. Ranma had been hard to follow at times.

"This is going to be one juicy romance novel," the reddish-brown haired girl grinned wickedly.

*****

It was clear from the mood hanging over Ostia that everyone was looking forward to the Championship match between Team Negima and Team Rakan. The Urborg had been filled with eager fans wanting to show their support for Team Negima and word that Nagi Springfield had been secretly training in preparation of the final match had run rampant through the city. With the official lineups listed as Nagi and Kojirou for Team Negima versus Rakan and Ryoga for Team Rakan, lines were quickly being drawn between the two teams' fans.

No longer were fans of Team Rakan allowed in the Urborg, not because the fans disliked each other, but because Team Negima's fans had quickly filled up not only the Urborg, but the entire street and neighborhood was filled with supporters of the upstart team. Across town there was a similar show of support for Team Rakan's fighters.

As much as Ranma wanted to, he knew that he wouldn't be able to see or speak with Rakan in private. With all the fans around the two teams it would be impossible for him to meet with the legendary fighter.

Looking beyond winning the tournament, Ranma couldn't help but think that Rakan's plans for Negi were unfounded. Both fighters knew that Negi could not hope to beat Fate as he was now. Despite all the training that Negi would be enduring at the hands of the Senator, the headmaster of the magical school and with the aid of the princess of Hellas, Ranma knew that there was a vast gap between the legendary fighter and the boy – a gap that could not be closed in so short a time.

Even considering power levels and class, it was clear to Ranma that Negi would not be able to kill Fate. Defeat yes, kill no. Mortals couldn't kill Nephalim and Peri, those of the angelic blood or demonic blood could. True, Kotaro and Setsuna could kill Fate, but if Negi couldn't stand up to Fate then neither could the dog or the crow hanyo. That left only Ranko and Asuna, and she wouldn't be in any condition to do it as she was still being held captive by him. Anyone else who tried to deliver the killing blow would simply have the half-celestial consume them. Just Fate had done to the real Nagi Springfield.

"A penny for your thoughts?" a familiar voice said, bringing Ranma out of his reverie.

The cursed martial artist blinked, slowly anchoring his mind in reality. "Oh, hey Ako, where'd you hear that phrase?"

The scarred girl smiled then quickly handed Ranma a drink. "I heard that in English class with Negi. It's supposed to be an American phrase."

Ranma nodded.

"So, can I talk with you privately?"

The pigtailed boy nodded, allowing the temporary waitress to lead him away from the crowds. "It's alright," she reassured him, "I'm on break right now."

Again the pigtailed boy nodded.

"There's something I need to know," Ako stated. "I…I know that Kotaro is Kojirou, and Ranko's you, but…"

Ranma couldn't help but start to rub his aching head.

"Negi's really Nagi, isn't he?" she finally managed to sputter.

Not wanting to say anything, not wanting to give up someone else's secret Ranma simply put his hand on her shoulder. "That's something you need to ask Negi."

The pair stood there silently for what felt like an eternity, neither one wanting to say anything.

"I know," Ako finally said. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have pulled you aside. You've got enough on your mind as it is."

The small girl turned to go but the firm hand on her shoulder kept her from leaving the secluded hallway.

"I can't say that I know what you're feeling," Ranma finally said, "but I know it's not an easy thing to say. But whatever the reasons he simply did what he needed to do regardless of the consequences."

Ako nodded, not exactly sure what Ranma was trying to say (then again, Ranma really wasn't sure what he was trying to say either). "Thanks," the small girl said with a smile.

* * * * *

The warm sun greeted Ostia as dawn lit up the festive city. While much of the city's inhabitants were simply unable to sleep due to their anticipation of the Finale of the Ostia Championship Tournament, some were simply unable to stay awake and others just passed out from the mass consumption of alcohol at the many raucous pubs, taverns, and bars. Dawn greeted Ranko as it usually did on the cool courtyard on the top level of the Urborg as the redhead meditated.

With a sigh Ranko opened her eyes before quickly leaping to her feet out of the lotus position. Arms reaching for the sky she arched her back and stretched. The familiar crackle of her joints and spine told her that she'd spent far too long in a stationary position. Gathering her things she quickly bathed while the rest of the Urborg's staff were probably chasing out the last lingering clients and patrons or finishing cleaning from the previous night's large crowd.

Bath finished and feeling very refreshed, Ranko was surprised to see Nagi (not her clone turned into Nagi) and Kojirou both in the courtyard.

"Morning Ranma," Nagi greeted.

_That's probably why Ako picked up on his secret_, the gender cursed martial artist thought. When her clones were pretending to be Nagi and Kojirou the clones had at least used the right names for each other.

"Morning runts," she returned. "You two ready for your match?"

Both boys nodded eagerly.

"I'd love to see how far your training has brought you," Ranko added, "but you'll have to wait until tomorrow at the least. I'd hate to see you lose to Rakan just because you hadn't given yourself time to heal after I beat you up."

Negi opened his mouth to say something but was quickly met with a stiff elbow to the ribs from the hanyo.

"Big talk from the old man," Kojirou said.

Clearly he had not helped Negi in maintaining his secret.

"Save your energy for your match with Rakan and Ryoga," Ranko instructed.

Even though the match was hours away, somehow the two brash youngsters managed to do just that. After having eaten a healthy and hearty breakfast the pair managed to make it to the arena (under the escort of Team Korwin and Jedit's Dragoons) without incident (if you don't include all the pair of panties and bras that adoring fan-girls threw at Nagi and Kojirou as noteworthy incidents).

"You really should return those," Nagi suggested as he strapped on his gauntlet. "Those don't belong to you Chamo."

The ermine flashed his master a wounded look. "But your loving fans gave these to you. I'm simply trying to keep track of them for you."

Ranko involuntarily shuddered as the ermine stuffed some panties into his panty space. There were some uses of stuff/weapon space that were just wrong.

"Just leave him be," Kojirou said, dismissing the ermine as he tried on a pair of dragon hide gloves. "Besides, it's not like you got a good look at any of those girls; at least not their faces."

Nagi blushed as he tested his gauntlet.

"I don't know, that girl with the pink and blue hair was pretty noteworthy," Ranko shot back.

Chamo shuddered as he handled an overstretched pair of panties aside. "There's too much to associate any of it to anyone," the ermine conceded.

Ranko shuddered again, trying not to think of just what the ermine might do if given the chance.

*****

A/N

Next chapter – Team Rakan vs Team Negima.

Ranma's fertility curse renders him infertile as he is not a true angel.

Negi and Asuna are nephew and aunt.

I realize that a lot of readers aren't going to be happy with what I've laid out in this chapter, and you'll probably dislike what happens in the next few chapters.

This chapter took a lot out of me… But I'm glad that I finally have it done. Please read and review.

Dreamingfox


	30. Chapter 30

Author's Notes –

I of course do not own anything from Ranma ½ or Negima; I'm simply borrowing characters, concepts, and ideas from the two series.

Thanks of course to my beta readers – Teturo, KitsuneOverlord, Lance, and Kamen Rider Den-O. I realize that some of the ideas are a bit outrageous, even for Ranma and Negima, and my betas are the ones who are trying their best to keep me in line and from being too outrageous.

Thanks to all the readers and reviewers as well. I'm glad that so many of you have stuck around this long and are enjoying this fic.

*****

It came as no surprise that the arena was standing room only. Not only was it the final and decisive battle to decide who would be the crowned as the champions of the tournament, it was a much hyped battle between someone with the appearance of a legendary fighter and an actually legendary fighter who had been the friend and rival of the other fighter. Nagi Springfield vs. Jack Rakan was all that needed to be said.

To accommodate everyone who couldn't fit into the arena all of the bars, pubs, taverns, and inns were allowed to show the matches (which had previously been blacked out). Even the locker rooms were full as virtually all the teams who had been eliminated and their members were watching the live broadcasts (even though it was just the pre-fight show). Everyone wanted to say that they'd been there when Nagi Springfield fought Jack Rakan, even if they had to sit in the locker rooms watching the broadcast. The atmosphere in the arena was that charged.

She wasn't sure if it was the fact that she wasn't part of the fight, or that all those people were there to acknowledge the prowess fighters that she handily beat (well, Rakan had been pushing her back when they fought) that made her so jumpy. Or maybe it was just the atmosphere around the entire city that was eagerly waiting the battle. It could also have been the fact that each of the teams that she had beaten were in the same locker room as she was (Jedit's Dragoons and the Wicked Redeemers with all the cat warriors, and Team Korwin with their demon panther).

Whatever the reason Ranko couldn't help but pace the locker room as she waited for the start of the match.

"Calm yourself Ranko," Jedit suggested. With a table full of food before him the mighty warrior was prepared for a long, drawn out battle. "I know that you want to face Rakan yourself, but it looks like you'll just have to wait your turn."

Ranko nodded.

"We're all eager for the battle to begin," Crimson hissed. Unlike Jedit who had been graceful in accepting his team's defeat, the blood red haired warrior had not taken to being bested.

Beside his team captain Raksha growled, saying something in the feline tongue that only the other cat's understood.

"Everyone wants to fight Rakan," Jedit interpreted. "But we all have to earn our shot at the legendary fighter. To be so close but not have that opportunity must be very trying for the youngster."

Ranko nodded again. Though she had already fought Rakan, she didn't want to let on that she had other concerns.

"It's time," Irini stated. Lost in the crowd of fighters the dwarf had to work hard to not be trampled on by the many warriors in the locker room.

A roar filled locker room as Nagi and Kojirou approached the stairs leading up to the arena. With Ranko in tow, Team Negima left the locker room. Stopping just short of the magical barrier that separated the arena from the stairs, Ranko listened to the roar of cheers that filled the stadium as Sasha announced Team Negima's participants.

"And here is Nagi Springfield and Kojirou!" the succubus barely managed to out scream the audience.

Behind her Ranko could sense the other teams' captains filing up the stairs to stand beside her.

Sasha's commentary was quickly drowned out by the roaring cheers of the audience. "Their opponents from Team Rakan – the legendary fighter himself – Jack Rakan and his heir apparent Ryoga Hibiki!"

Ranko couldn't help but smirk as the crowd's cheers noticeably lightened at the mention of her directionless rival.

The electric atmosphere quickly silenced the crowd as the fighters eyed each other from across the arena. It came as no surprise to Ranko that Ryoga initiated things as the formidable fighter charged across the arena. In response Kojirou rushed to meet him, slowly transforming with every step. Gone was the lean youth, replaced instead with a well muscled and hairy monster –clearly Kojirou had learned to take advantage of his demonic heritage.

Ryoga and Kojirou collided in the center of the stadium in a deafening impact that shook the ground. Despite his increased mass and advantage in speed Kojirou had been knocked back by Ryoga's pure power. Still, the hanyo had managed to slow and even redirect Ryoga. Taking a page from Ranma's playbook Kojirou took to evading his much stronger opponent's punches as he waited for an opening.

On the far end of the arena Rakan began to charge up for a powerful attack. Having experienced the attack Ranma wondered just what trick Negi would have to countering the powerful spell. Limited by the magical barrier protecting the stadium and audience Negi did not have the luxury of dodging the attack as Ranma had done.

With a tremendous leap the legendary warrior positioned himself high above the center of the arena before casting down his powerful spear of pure light. As soon as the energy weapon was out of his hand it quickly expanded so that it brushed up against the barriers protecting the arena.

Momentarily blinded as the powerful blast hit the arena floor, Ranma felt it shake the ground and cause the arena to tremble as the spell detonated.

"Wooh!" Jedit exclaimed as the mighty cat warrior fought to maintain his balance.

"What the hell are you doing?" a voice screamed, drowning out the announcer's own protests.

"Princess Theodore," the announcer shouted meekly, "you're not supposed to…"

"If the arena's barriers weren't in place you could have killed us all!" the princess continued to scream into the mic.

High above the stadium Rakan smiled as he hovered in the air. "Sorry," he chuckled. "But Nagi's not down yet. This is a serious fight after all."

The crowd gasped as Nagi and Kojirou crouched beneath a large sword.

Ranko blinked in astonishment. _ How the hell did Negi get Asuna's magic absorbing/canceling sword?_

Though surprised that his opponents had not been injured by the attack Rakan quickly conjured his thousand blades with his pactio before hurling the blades at the pair of youngsters and attempting to pin them down.

Ranko watched as Nagi expertly deflected the blades, even destroying some as he cut through them with Asuna's sword. It was clearly evident to the pigtailed martial artist that Negi had the genuine weapon and not a mere imitation.

As she watched the battle progress Ranko couldn't help but notice Negi's artifact, the small book that allowed the boy to copy, no use the artifacts given to his partners – Asuna's sword, Setsuna's thirteen flying daggers and Kaede's cloak. Seeing just how Negi was using his artifact Ranko wasn't sure if she was glad that she hadn't made a pactio with the boy or if she should have made one. The Grand Master's Scroll could prove to be a powerful artifact, but did he really want to share it with anyone?

Though Nagi was on the offensive it was clear to Ranko's experienced eyes that the boy was not going to be able to press Rakan with such low level attacks. Slowly the young mage accepted the fact that he couldn't hurt his opponent with such attacks. Breaking off his attack Nagi took a moment to prepare his next attack.

On the other side of the arena Kojirou was slowly being pushed back by Ryoga as well. Though the hanyo had the edge in speed he clearly lacked the power to do any serious damage against the tank that was Ryoga. The lost boy easily shrugged off blows that would have sundered boulders. Watching as the werewolf/dog shook his wrists and hands after each punch Ranko knew that Kojirou was getting the short end of the stick even though he was the one doing the punching.

Ryoga for his part knew that he was wearing down the smaller boy. Unfazed by any of the punches that Kojirou had landed, the bandana wearing boy left himself open for another wicked right cross from his slightly off balance opponent. Had Kojirou had the time to plant himself and connect with a proper punch he might have hurt Ryoga. As it was the boy had simply left himself open for a powerful counter from the mighty Ryoga.

The counter punch, a powerful right to Kojirou's face, sent the younger boy skidding into the ground before finally bouncing off the ground. Somehow the dog hanyo managed to right himself in the air. Though clearly the worse for wear, it was clear that he wouldn't be put down so easily.

Now separated from his opponent Kojirou took a moment to summon dog spirits and infuse them into himself. Using the volatile mixture of spirit energy and magic the hanyo was using a variant of Kanka to power his next volley of attacks, but just how long could he last?

For his part Nagi had also managed to infuse himself with the powerful spells that he'd been casting. Both boys were brimming with energy as they resumed their offensive.

Whatever they had done it was clear that they were now on a completely different level than the one they had been on at the start of the battle. With their speed and power drastically increased the pair of youngsters began to pummel their opponents. Resounding punches rocked Rakan while powerful and swift blows rained down on Ryoga.

The crowd cheered as the two underdogs rallied. For nearly two minutes the two young fighters from Team Negima maintained their offensive, bloodying their older and more experienced opponents.

"This is simply amazing," Sasha shouted. "I can't even keep track of their attacks – they're moving so fast!"

Ranko nodded. For most untrained fighters, and even some of the prize fighters assembled, the action was much to fast for their eyes to follow. Only the sudden change in direction that Rakan and Ryoga's bodies suggested where the attack had come from and what part of their body had been hit. Even Ranko, a speedster herself, was having a difficult time following Nagi, though Kojirou was much easier to follow. Still, if the young fighters were simply relying on some power up, it wouldn't be long before they ran out of juice.

"And Team Rakan is down!" the succubus announced to a raucous roar from the crowd. "The referee is starting the standing 20 count."

The crowd began to shout out the count along with the referee. "1, 2, 3, 4, 5…"

"They might actually win," Crimson said, clearly awed by the history he thought he was seeing.

"It's been nearly twenty years since I've seen Rakan taken down like that," Jedit added.

"They're not down yet," Ranko stated.

Slowly, around the twelve-count Ryoga began to stir. Beside him the larger Rakan also stirred.

The sight of the two fighters getting to their feet quickly silenced the crowd.

"I can't believe they're back up!" Sasha shouted. "After the beating we saw them take – it's simply amazing!"

Nagi and Kojirou quickly began to charge up for another assault. Rushing in, they and virtually everyone watching was surprised when the Rakan and Ryoga countered their opponents' attacks. Even with their power increased by the infusion of energy Team Negima's fighters were slowly being forced to take the defensive. For every attack they tried to launch they were met with powerful punches, elbows or knee strikes. No longer was it a one-sided affair as the fighters began to punch it out in the middle of the arena.

Held in rapt fascination of the battle the crowd and the announcer simply watched as the powerful fighters pummeled each other.

Ranko couldn't help but think that Negi and Kojirou had missed their chance to finish the fight. Sure, their opponents had been down, but clearly not out. Their inexperience had cost them the quick victory. Now engaged in a slugfest with Ryoga and Rakan the pair of youngsters had lost any edge that they had. Even with their edge in speed, the inexperienced fighters had begun to telegraph their attacks, allowing their opponents to mentally and physically prepare their defenses and set up a counter attack.

"It looks like another Double-KO!" the succubus announcer shouted. "This time Team Rakan has dished out the punishment on Team Negima, putting both youngsters down."

Again the referee began the count. Slowly it became louder as more and more of the crowd joined in.

Ranko couldn't help but sigh. A standing twenty-count was just too much. Back in Nerima he'd won enough fights by knocking out his rivals, and occasionally by knocking them out of the area (or into low earth orbit), but few stayed down longer then it took him to walk away (Kuno always managed to make it back to school on time, though he would often miss first period).

"Thirteen… fourteen… fifteen… sixteen…" the crowd and the referee counted off. "Seventeen…"

"He's up!" Sasha shouted as Negi slowly began to stir. "Well, he's getting up!"

"Eighteen…"

Nagi got to his knees as Kojirou started to sit up.

"Nineteen…"

Nagi stood unsteadily on his feet. The referee quickly floated down to him, discontinuing the count. Seeing that Kojirou was also slowly getting to his feet the ref flew back out of range of the fight.

"Team Negima isn't out yet!" the announcer screamed, rousing the crowd to another thunderous round of cheering.

With everyone focused on the recovering young fighters, few noticed that Rakan and Ryoga were already preparing themselves for their next attack.

"Rakan leaps into the air," Sasha shouted, "is he preparing another barrage? Will the stadium be able to withstand another hit like the one before?"

Ryoga charged ahead, fully expecting Kojirou to meet him head on. Instead the young hanyo began to transform once again, this time into a giant shadowy form of his last transformation.

Ranko blinked, realizing that not only had Kojirou transformed further, but he was welding Asuna's magic canceling blade. Sure, it would protect him against Rakan's attack as well as give him increased range against his opponent, but it would do nothing against Ryoga's ki based attacks.

As she expected, Ryoga slammed into the now transformed Kojirou. Catching the demon dog's sword hand in his hand Ryoga pushed the hanyo back towards Nagi. Caught between defending himself and continuing his spells Nagi choose to have faith in his partner's ability to hold off their opponents.

Unfortunately for Nagi even a further transformed Kojirou proved to be no match for Ryoga. Unused to welding a sword, especially one that was so big, it was easy for the bandana wearing boy to overpower the younger and less experienced fighter as Kojirou overextended himself and left himself open for a counter attack repeatedly. Catching the sword in his hands Ryoga yanked it out of the unbalanced hanyo before delivering a powerful kick to the ribs. Now gripping Asuna's sword Ryoga began to bash Kojirou over the head with the magic canceling sword before finally impaling the demonic dog and forcibly changing the boy back to his true form. Pinned to the ground with the gigantic sword through his left leg, Kotaro lay face down in the broken ground.

Ranko's eyes bulged as she recognized the pale green aura enveloping her friend and rival. The growing sphere of manifested ki and despair was immense, even for Ryoga. Had the fact that he was beating up on a little kid broken Ryoga?

Realizing the true magnitude of the attack, Ranko could do little more then watch as Nagi completed his spells. Infusing himself with light and dark magic, a truly volatile mixture of magical energies, he charged Ryoga just as the bandana wearing boy released his attack.

Though Negi might have seen Ranma's version of the same attack, the boy clearly did not realize what it was capable of as he deftly avoided the blast. Slipping under it the young fighter hit Ryoga with a powerful punch. Though the punch sent Ryoga flying, Ranko knew that it was because the lost boy did not want to get hit with the resulting attack.

Green ki descended on the startled youths as Nagi tried in vain to get Kotaro out without dispelling his own spells. Right before impact Rakan's magical blast hit Ryoga's heavy ki.

Ranko knew that her teammates would not survive the resulting blast, and the stadium's magical barrier wouldn't be able to contain the hybrid kanka blast as it had barely managed to hold back Rakan's earlier attack.

Trapped, Nagi redirected his energies into a modified barrier just as the two opposing energies exploded.

The audience's screams of terror were drowned out by the failing magical barrier that protected the arena. Only the quick thinking of several prize fighters and powerful magi who created smaller barriers over the audience prevented anyone from sustaining any serious injuries. Though fans and attendants were blown over as the force of the blast sent them flying over the attendants behind them, no one appeared to be seriously injured (despite all the horns, claws, and other sharp objects that the audience had amongst them).

"I…I've… I've never seen anything like that!" Sasha squeaked out. "What in the nine hells did they do?!"

Slowly the smoke cleared from the sundered arena floor.

"There's no way that Team Negima is getting up from that blast," Sasha stated, slowly getting back into her role as announcer.

Ranko quickly rushed out to the arena.

"It looks like Team Negima's third member agrees," the announcer shouted. "Team Negima surrenders, choosing to get medical attention for their members rather then waiting for the full twenty count."

The crowd was too stunned to cheer or boo, settling instead to simply get back to their seats or to untangle themselves from their neighbors.

Ryoga and Rakan stood over their fallen opponents. With a relieved sigh they nodded as Ranko picked up Nagi.

"Adeat!" Ranko shouted, conjuring her artifact. Quickly she ran her hands over the full length of the scroll as she opened it, heedless of the techniques that rushed through her mind.

Slightly dazed by the flow of information, she blinked a few times to clear her mind. With her hands cradling Nagi's face she kissed the bloodied mage. She could feel the flow of magic as she infused her own healing magic into Nagi, forcing his body to heal from the multitude of wounds that the boy had suffered in his losing battle to Rakan. Confident that she had done all she could for him, Ranko repeated the process with Kotaro.

"I can't believe you kissed them," Ryoga said, slightly disturbed by the fact that his rival, even in her female form, had kissed the boys.

Ranko sat up, feeling the strain from using her little mana reserves to heal so much damage. "I've only started the healing process," she explained. "Their wounds were too much for me to heal all at once, but at least they no longer have life threatening injuries."

Rakan nodded. "I guess we kinda over did things."

"Kind of?!" a new voice shouted.

Ranko looked up and shrugged as she recognized Princess Theo and the other two that had been training Negi and Kotaro.

"I guess that even with our help they couldn't defeat you so soon," the senator stated as he checked on Negi.

"We should probably get them to a hospital," the busty headmaster added as she checked on Kotaro.

"There's no need for that," another voice interrupted.

Ranko bristled as she looked up at Fate and his cohorts. How had they managed to avoid being seen by Duo and Duce?

"Soon all of you will be dead," the white haired Peri stated.

* * * * *

A/N

Yes, that's the end of this chapter. I know, it's a short chapter, but you'll just have to deal. Sorry.

While ki and mana are different according to canon Negima, I've treated them differently in this fic. In regards to how Fate is using Asuna, the idea is that her specific ki resonance would garner a specific reaction to the mana in and around Ostia. Fate was trying to do something similar with Raksha but Ranko inadvertently stopped it.

Ranma's ki is particularly chaotic, and generally reacts badly to mana as well, though there are times when it hasn't done anything despite mixing with his ki. Ranma's ki reflects his personality, that it is capable of changing to fit the situation and breaking things down, and when confronted with its opposite, namely mana, it thus breaks it down in a destructive manor.

As for Negi and Asuna, Asuna in particular is recognized as the last of Ostia's royalty. Fate kidnapped her because she is the closest to her reaching her majority (age wise) and possibly power level wise too. He's spent the last few days messing with her ki, fine tuning her resonance so that it will react specifically with the ambient mana of Ostia. There's also the fact that Asuna relies on ki more than Negi, thus implying that she could possibly have a greater Ki reserve then Negi. Not to mention that Negi is an established mage with mana reserves, so it would be harder for Fate to infuse huge amounts of ki into Negi.

While the shadow mage vs. Kojirou was nice in the manga, unfortunately I pushed him into Team Korwin, a fight that Kojirou won with little assistance from Ranko. Ryoga not being tossed around by Kojirou is not because Ryoga is durable, more something to do/say about just how strong Ranma, Rakan, and Ryoga are compared to Negi and Kotaro. Ryoga is not unmovable, simply stronger and bigger then Kotaro can handle.

Next chapter - the final battle between Fate and the Ala Alba.

Dreamingfox


	31. Chapter 31

Author's Notes -

Thanks to all the faithful readers and reviewers who have followed this fic. I'm glad that you've all enjoyed this work as all I'm getting out of writing this fic is the simple enjoyment of putting some ideas that are the culmination of the established works of Ranma ½ and Negima together. Yes, there are some OCs, but hey, what author doesn't have some useful characters, especially OCs?

Thanks of course to my beta readers – some who have griped with me (justifiably so) and others who suggested I slow down and let the source series progress further (as I've nearly caught up with where the manga's current story arc is). So I've reconsidered some elements of the story, while also pressing on with the progress of this fic.

Still, thanks to Teturo, KitsuneOverlord, Lance, and Kamen Rider Den-O.

*****

"What the hell is this?" Sasha shouted. "Has someone shown up to suddenly challenge the new champions?"

Ranko knew better. Fate clearly had moved up his timetable in hopes of catching everyone off guard.

Quickly creating four clones, the redhead sent them off with instructions to take the two knocked out members of her team to Konoka.

"You two good to go?" she asked, looking past Ryoga and Rakan at the Peri and his crew of girls. But it wasn't just the girls; there was a small horde of gigantic demons as well.

"Of course," Ryoga replied as he cracked his knuckles.

"Good," Rakan said with a slight nod. "We need to hold them off until Negi can get back into the fight. Can you have some of your clones start evacuating?"

"Yeah," Ranko replied. "But I think some of the fighters might want in on the action."

Prize fighters stood at each entrance to the arena, over two dozen in total. Even with them fighting on their side the demons easily outnumbered them.

"Greater demons," Jedit stated. "They rarely leave the magical realm. This should be interesting."

The redhead nodded as members from all of the thirty two prize fighting teams emerged, eager to show why they had earned a spot in the Championship tournament. In a flash the fight started. Bolts of lightning, giant balls of magical fire, and arrows of magical energy filled the air only to hit magical barriers protecting fighters from both sides.

The handful of fliers quickly took to the air as their non-flying companions' unleashed covering fire for them. Among them was Ranko with Ryoga in tow. With a mighty heave she launched her rival at the largest but not closest of the descending demons. The redhead watched Ryoga hit the greater demon with a mighty ki charged punch, burying his fist in the demon's collapsed chest. Bursting into a ball of hellfire the demon vanished, leaving a slightly singed bandana wearing boy to fall onto the next closest demon.

Akira watched as the mass chaos filled the arena. Hidden behind the weakened but once again active barrier that protected the fans seated in the stadium the lithe girl pulled out her pactio card.

"Adeat!" several girls shouted in unison. Akira, Konoka, Kaede, Setsuna, and Misora each activated their pactio cards in unison. Looking at the carrot-topped Asuna the swimmer gave her an odd look. Something was wrong, why didn't Asuna pull out her pactio?

"I guess the jig's up," the fake Asuna said as it slowly began to fade away. Pointing up to where the group had last seen Fate the magical construct sneered. "If you want to save the real Asuna then you have to fight your way through that."

"She's a fake," Nodoka explained.

"How long have you known?" Chisame gasped.

"Since Ranma came back from his first date with her," the mousy girl replied. "We've been trying to find where the real one was and limiting what the fake may have been telling Fate about what we were doing."

"You knew and you didn't tell us?" Misora asked, clearly astounded by the fact that the mousy librarian had held out on them.

"Ranma made me promise not to tell anyone," Nodoka explained. "Now's not the time to discuss this."

Konoka nodded as she spotted four Ranko clones approach bearing an unconscious Negi and Kotaro, two to carry the boys and two to clear their way. Hand firmly on her wand she nodded grimly.

"Heal these two," Quinn ordered.

"Kaede," Quad said as the clone set down Kotaro. "I need you to find Chamo. He'll direct you to Asuna. Fate will probably be there too. Misora, I need you both to help gather the injured for Konoka and the other healers. Takane, I need you to cover her. Everyone else, try to stay out of trouble."

All of the clones disappeared, leaving only small glowing feathers.

Ranko grunted as she kicked a demon hard, crushing its skull. Kicking off of it she used her momentum to propel her towards another demon. All around her the massive greater demons continued to descend despite the best efforts of the handful of flying prize fighters. Below her the first of the demons had already begun to clash with the gathered prize fighters.

The feel of Rakan's powerful aura warned the redhead of the immanent attack, giving her just enough time to pick up Ryoga and move out of the way of the powerful blast. Though not as powerful as the large blast that the legendary fighter had hit Negi with or the one that he'd combined with Ryoga, but it did its job of taking out several dozen of the greater demons.

Slowly the chaos filled the entire arena as the demons reached the arena floor. One on one many of the prize fighters were able to hold their own, but there were many more of the greater demons then prize fighters. Overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of the greater demons the prize fighters were fortunate that no one had died outright, though that was probably due more to the efforts of Misora and the girls who rushed to get the injured fighters to safety and for healing. Things were not going well.

The sight of several armored figures riding brooms didn't help. Though she knew that the Valkryie Brigade was trying to help, Ranko knew that if the prize fighters couldn't hold their own against the demons the young mages in training wouldn't be able to keep up. The sight of several Valkryies getting blasted out of the sky didn't help reassure her. Unwilling to let the girls fall to their deaths or give up her pursuit of Fate the redhead created several clones. Tasked with rescuing the girls the clones rushed to save the falling Valkryies.

_Hot water_, she thought as she fingered her pactio card. Glad to have squeezed in some practice with his partner Ranma hoped that her ability to conjure and control water would give him some more control over his transformations in battle.

It didn't take long for Akira to send a blast of hot water at her, changing him back to his true form. Activating the Nephalim seals the pigtailed martial artist charged at the closest demon. Nailing the long necked magical being with a powerful punch that snapped its neck, Ranma absorbed the creature's energy as it expired. With the seal converting the demon's mana into ki, Ranma was quickly recharged. Creating eight clones he felt the energy drain from dividing his reserves nine ways. But with the seal he quickly replenished his energy reserves as he tackled a demon and drained it of its mana.

Refueled and invigorated, Ranma and his clones quickly cut down their demonic enemies. The tide of battle slowly turned with the appearance Ranma's male side and the clones. Armed with the Nephalim seal the pigtailed martial artist (who looked rather effeminate so as to hide the face that she was actually a he) cut a swath through the greater demons, draining them of their mana and converting it to ki and refilling their reserves so that they could create more clones (which was actually the idea that one of the clones had). With the number of injured increasing, several clones even took to helping heal (though not kiss) the injured prize fighters.

It didn't take long for Fate to realize how badly things were going. Even though the Peri had expected some resistance, he had clearly not anticipated that the remaining prize fighters and the few defenders of Ostia would have put up such a stout defense, especially not in the arena away from the capital war ships that patrolled the neutral city. With no militia or military might save the token units deployed from other nations to protect their respective ambassadors or politicians, the arena should have fallen quickly.

Seeing several greater demons being cut down by the horde of pigtailed martial artists Fate scowled. Not only was the wild card alive, but he was slowly turning the tide of battle against the greater demons. Things were not going well.

Though the loss of a few dozen was expected, the loss of nearly a half of the horde was intolerable. Sure, the demons hadn't been killed; merely sent back to the magical realm, but that wasn't the point. He'd sacrificed a lot just to summon them to the magical world from the demonic plane. There was a reason why Fate had chosen those specific greater demons. Not only did those particular ancient demons use only magic, but their mana signatures would react to the princess' ki once it was released, thus increasing the effectiveness of the treatment that the girl had endured. The loss of each greater demon would diminish the effectiveness of his plan.

With a wave of his hand he located the original pigtailed martial artist, a difficult task given the number of Ranma's that were wrecking havoc in the arena. In a flash he was standing behind Ranma, lashing out with a stiff kick that should have connected with the pigtailed young man's ribs but was instead greeted with nothing but empty air.

"Where's Asuna?!" Ranma shouted as he spun around to face the Peri.

"The princess if fine," Fate replied as he threw a punch at Ranma. "At least for now she is."

A devastating kick promptly shut the white haired boy up as it sent him tumbling. Fighting the urge to kick the Peri's ass, Ranma focused instead on his link with Asuna. Finally one of his clones was close enough to sense her presence, though it had died in the process. With the new information in his mind Ranma rushed to the spot where that particular clone had died, heedless of the horde of demons still between him and the princess.

Behind him Fate slowly recovered his bearings. Rushing to stop the pigtailed boy the Peri was instead greeted by a familiar presence.

"How annoying," he said as a powered up Negi appeared before him. "How many times must I beat you? You know that there's now way in hell you can beat me yet you continue to come back for more."

"I'm a lot stronger now," Negi scowled as he charged in. Unleashing an elbow, palm strike, front kick, spinning back hand, and finally a spinning roundhouse kick combo, he wasn't startled by the fact that his nemesis had skillfully dodged and blocked the attacks.

"But still not strong enough to beat me," Fate replied. "Even with your lightning form you couldn't beat Rakan. You're not even at seventy percent after fighting and losing to Rakan. Even at a hundred percent you couldn't beat me in that form."

As Negi rushed in with another attack combo the white haired boy simply blocked the kick before grabbing his off balance opponent. Pulling the younger boy in the Peri connected with a resounding elbow to the chin, dropping the smaller boy.

"Huh," Fate exclaimed. "You barely managed to block that hit. I wouldn't suggest using your chin to block an attack though. But it was better then having your throat crushed."

Negi flexed his jaw as he slowly got to his feet. Things were definitely not going well for him today. He'd need another opening just to complete his third trump card (something that Rakan and Ryoga had not allowed him to use). Rushing in, Negi threw a feint left palm strike. Sensing Fate's counter he instead caught the Peri's right wrist before falling back and kicking his opponent hard in the face. That would teach Fate not to underestimate him.

* * * * *

Smiling grimly as she held the arenak blade before her, Setsuna couldn't help but be grateful for Ranma's gift. Not only was the arenak blade great at dispelling and shielding her from the demons' magical attacks, it also cut them down quickly, though not as quickly as Asuna's giant blade. Still, it was much better then nothing. With only a few weeks of practice she'd managed to learn and adapt her stance and attacks to incorporate the second blade.

A flash of white warned her of her nemesis' approach. Lashing out defensively forced the white robed psycho to pull back.

"How I've longed to see you again sempai," the rogue swordswoman smiled wickedly. "You don't know how long I've waited to for this moment. I'll finally get to enjoy your lovely body."

Sparks flew as the swordswomen's blades clashed. None dared to interfere with the girls' fight.

* * * * *

Fighting through the pain Kotaro knew that he needed to keep the girls safe. Despite Ranma and Konoka's efforts the lingering sword wound had not healed completely – leaving him slightly impaired as he battled with the greater demons that had over run the prize fighters. Bound tightly, the dark red stain kept him from really joining the fray. Still, with so many injured it didn't take long for the gigantic greater demons to begin to notice.

"I'm definitely not a defensive fighter," the hanyo muttered as he clubbed a serpentine demon over the head with a stone bench. Dazed by the attack the beast shook its long neck and head, leaving itself open for Kotaro's powerful claws as the young demon blinded the creature by ripping into its eyes.

More used to one on one or even two on one fights, Kotaro found that he was not suited to standing his ground and covering the girls. But at least he wasn't alone as Ku Fei, Takane, Haruna, and Akira fought hard to keep the demons at bay.

Spotting the approach of several redheaded young men (though they could have passed for handsome young women) Kotaro knew that Ranma had sent more clones. As each was baring an injured fighter or armored Valkryies it was clear to the dog hanyo that the clones were bringing more injured for the healers to tend to. This was definitely not the type of fight that he usually got himself into.

"More wounded coming," Kotaro shouted as he dispatched the snakelike demon.

"Valkryie Brigade," the Ranma clone shouted as it deposited two unconscious girls before Konoka.

"And we picked up a few other fighters too," a second Ranma clone added as he helped a wounded lizard man.

Konoka nodded. Though she could feel her reserves running low after tending to all the injured fighters, the healer knew that she couldn't afford to rest, not with so many people fighting to protect them and the city. Even the knowledge that there were healers working in the locker rooms beneath the arena failed to dissuade her from putting so much energy into each healing spell as every person that she healed had suffered serious injuries. Though some had insisted on fighting on once healed many were simply unable to do more then help guard the healers.

"Careful," the clone advised, "Her armor's still hot."

"But what about you?" the small girl asked as she noticed the burns on the clone's arms.

"It's only hot, not enough to burn me," the clone replied.

Konoka nodded. In the heat of the battle she'd forgotten that he had a high resistance to heat and fire.

With the new Ranma clones taking care of the few greater demons Akira was free to help with the healing. Though she could only create and manipulate water she had found that it was very useful in tending to the burn wounds that most of the fighters had suffered as a result of fighting their demonic enemies. Creating some water she filled a nearby crater with the cool liquid.

"Akira," the Ranma clone shouted. "Could you help cool their armor?"

With a nod the swimmer directed a small blast of water at the armored figures. The hissing armor quickly cooled down, making it much easier for Konoka and Kokone to remove the injured girls.

"Yue!"

* * * * *

Even with the tide of battle slowly turning in their favor Ranma knew that there was still a lot to do. What little he'd seen of the demons suggested that they were there for a reason. While Fate may have wanted extra muscle to even the odds, it was clear that the Peri had other plans as well. And if Ranma was right, the pigtailed martial artist knew that things were not going to be easy.

As he rushed past several demons Ranma spotted one of Fate's partners. Though he didn't recognize her the martial artist did recognize the carrot-topped Asuna and the smaller Anya. _ Damn, how'd I forget about her?_

Blowing past the few remaining demons that stood between him and the helpless girls, Ranma didn't even bother trying to absorb and convert their power as his reserves were flowing over.

"Asuna!" he shouted as he crashed into a powerful ki barrier.

"Scream all you want," the girl taunted. "No mortal can break through that barrier. Just be glad that you'll get to see the princess' final moments."

Ranma pounded the barrier relentlessly, refusing to give up on Asuna when she was so close. Helplessly he watched as the girl infused more ki into the still unconscious Asuna. Then it clicked – no mortal could break the barrier.

_Akira, cold water_, he sent his partner as he fingered his pactio card. Floating away from the barrier the pigtailed martial artist eyed the barrier while waiting for the cold water. It didn't take long for Akira to finally spot him and then launch a strong blast of water his way. The feel of the cold water once again drenching and changing her was refreshing; she hadn't realized how worked up she'd been or how strained her body was, but fighting greater demons had taken a lot out of her. If not for the Nephalim seal she probably would have been exhausted.

The bolt of lightning rocked her, burning through her silk shirt. Dazed by the sudden attack Ranma barely whirled around in time to see the source of the attack as several greater demons closed in on him. No longer using magic, the demons relied on elemental attacks – namely lightning.

Swiftly evading another bolt of lightning Ranma was surprise when it rebounded off the barrier behind her, hitting her hard in the back. Stunned, Ranma barely registered the barrage of spears that the demons had launched at her. Though he managed to avoid being lethally impaled, he did have to pull out several spears that had pierced her legs, shoulders, and one in the chest. The lightning bolt that struck quickly incinerated the wood shafts but left the smoldering metal tips inside of her body.

Fighting through the searing pain she charged the demons. Through the red haze she managed to tackle one of the demons, draining the mana out of the creature and sending it back to the magical realm. Even with the boost of converted energy Ranma knew that she couldn't heal the injuries from the spears. Not only were the metal tips now trapped inside of her body, but the poisoned blades were slowly taking affect.

With her clones scattering the remaining demons Ranma tried to tend to her wounds. The sting of the still imbedded spear heads didn't help either, but at least she wasn't as scorched as she'd been in her male form. With a deep breath she forced herself up towards the barrier. Surprisingly she couldn't even feel the barrier as her hand went right through it. With a wicked smile she rushed headlong towards the girls.

The feel of someone other then himself and his servants passing through the barrier startled the white haired Peri. Fate momentarily forgot about his fight with Negi as he closed his eyes and focused on the barrier. Had Negi sent a clone to distract him?

A powerful palm strike to the chest quickly brought the Peri out of his reverie as Negi followed up with a vicious elbow to the sternum, knee to the stomach that turned into a kick to the chest, and finally an axe kick to the head.

"You're definitely the real one," Fate muttered, wiping blood from his face as the Peri stabilized his flight. "But if you're here then who's up there?"

"It doesn't matter," Negi shouted as he rushed in for another series of attacks only to have half of the blows connect. "I'm the one you should be worried about!"

Unfazed by the string of attacks Fate managed to connect with a powerful palm strike to the chin, rocking Negi and putting some space between the two combatants. Shaking his head, Negi again charged in, only to have his combination blocked successfully by the Peri.

"Do you seriously think that you can beat me?" Fate taunted. "Do you know why Rakan wanted you to fight him? Do you know that he wanted you to win? He thought that you were the only one capable of beating me, of truly defeating me. But for you to do so you needed to step up and take things to the next level. Unfortunately you couldn't do that – you couldn't defeat Rakan so you can't reach your majority!"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Negi asked as he unleashed his next combo. Even in his lightning form he couldn't break Fate's defenses as the Peri's barrier gave him time to react to the mage's attacks, but at least he couldn't counter attack like Rakan could.

Deflecting and blocking his opponent's attacks Fate finally managed to land a counter. "Don't you know that when a mage reaches his majority he is considered an adult? In your case Rakan wanted to consider you a man. If he could do that then you would have been able to access your full potential. But there's more."

With Negi stunned from the punch to the face Fate rushed in, kicking the boy hard in the stomach.

"You, like the princess, have angelic blood," Fate explained as he stomped on Negi's head. "Just like me."

Negi rolled away, barely managing to avoid being kicked in the head again. Head still ringing he fought to maintain his current form. "What's that have to do with anything?"

Fate laughed as Negi once again rushed in. Despite the boy's power and speed, the young mage lacked the proper form and techniques needed to utilize those advantages. Slowly Fate had managed to ramp up his own speed as his reflexes began to adjust to keep up with his opponent. Those last few counters had been proof that he was now able to at least use Negi's speed against the boy.

"Maybe I should just let you kill me," Fate taunted. "Then you'd understand why you can't defeat me as you are."

Rushing in Negi could feel his opponent lowering his guard. Unsure of what the white haired boy was up to Negi decided not to rush in.

"Hahaha!" Fate laughed, taunting his opponent further. "So you're not an idiot like your father! That's good, but unfortunately letting you kill me would be a step down from my current body."

Slowly Fate let the complex glamour fade, revealing to his opponent what he really looked like. The reddish hair and lean, taller body looked familiar, very familiar. It was clear that the two opponents resembled each other – like father like son.

"I let your father kill me," Fate admitted. Slowly the Peri's white hair turned reddish as Fate grew taller. "But mortals like him can't kill immortals like me. And Nephalim like you and the princess who haven't grown your wings yet can't kill me either."

"Fa…father?" Negi mumbled, clearly stunned by the revelation.

"Yes," Fate said in Nagi's voice. "He killed me, but I took over his body. Why do you think that I'm so powerful without having to practice? I was once a pathetic runt like you, and then I reached my majority during the Great War twenty years ago. And then your father's master killed me at the end of the war. Imagine the look of surprise when I took over his body…hahahaha! It was priceless, truly priceless!"

"But you didn't expect me, now did you?!" Ranko shouted as two clones sped by Fate and Negi, each bearing an unconscious girl.

Distracted by the clones Fate failed to spot the real Ranma as the pigtailed martial artist slammed into the Peri. Twisting around to face his new opponent Fate/Nagi slammed his elbow into Ranma's head.

"What the hell are you?" Fate/Nagi shouted. "Though you may have tremendous ki reserves you're not a Nephalim. Your blood doesn't make mine boil, nor does mine do that to yours – what the hell are you?"

Ranma slammed his fist into Fate's stomach. "I'm a wild card!" he shouted defiantly as he rocked Fate/Nagi with a powerful punch to the jaw. Uncontrollable power surged through the pigtailed boy as he pounded on his opponent. Even though he'd transformed (when after using the fire mage to heat up some water) the pigtailed martial artist could tell that the damaged inflicted on him while in his female form had taken a large toll on him. Not only was the converted power from all of the greater demons he had drained and defeated was too much for even him but the poison from the blades was similar to what wormfang did to mana only applied to ki. The more he used ki the more it hurt him.

Narrowly avoiding a vicious punch from a once again fully transformed Fate, Ranma responded with an equally brutal elbow to the face, crushing the Peri's nose.

A sundering punch rocked the Peri only to send a sharp pain down the pigtailed Nephalim's arm as his muscles began to tear. With each savage blow Ranma could feel not only Nagi's bones breaking but his own as well. After several more punishing blows Fate refused to defend himself, resigning to the fact that he was beaten.

"Y…you may… have beaten… me…" the bloodied Peri coughed. "But… I'll... *cough*… have… *cough*… the last… laugh…"

"Maybe," Ranma panted as he stood over the dying Peri. Having bound several demonic souls to his own, Ranma hoped that Nasham and the others could keep Fate at bay.

All around them the various battles wound down. With their summoner defeated the greater demons simply waited for the spell that bound them to dissipate, thus returning them back to the magic realm. Though the demons stood down, many of the remaining prize fighters remained on the defensive, wiry of any ploys that their demonic opponents might be waiting to unleash.

With some of the remaining ki in his reserves Ranma opened his stuff space pocket, pulling out a large, wicked blade. Resigned to his fate, the pigtailed boy fought to remain standing as the poison started to make him lightheaded.

"Ranma, stop!" Negi shouted as the bloodied and bruised young mage landed several meters away. "If you kill him he's just going take over your body.

"I know," Ranma replied. "I'm already dying, so he's just going to die along with my body. Besides, I already have six demons inside of me…"

Blade in hand he carefully stabbed Fate. The effects were immediate as Fate quickly began to force himself onto his killer and new victim and out of his old victim. Slowly Nagi's features began to show as the body reverted to its natural form. All around them the greater demons began to vanish, popping out of existence and returning to the magical realm now that their summoner was dying.

"Ne…Negi?" the older mage barely managed to squeak out.

"Dad?" the young mage cried as he took his father's hand into his.

"Akira," Ranma muttered, leaning into the giant blade. "Water…."

The swimmer nodded, trusting in her partner and lover. Conjuring a ball of cool water she splashed Ranma, triggering his transformation.

Hand on the giant blade Ranma once again stabbed Fate/Nagi, hitting another vital organ and forcing the last of the Peri's essence out of Nagi's body.

"What are you doing?" Rakan shouted as the legendary warrior rushed to the scene.

Grabbing the tall warrior by the collar, Ranma quickly head butted the larger fighter. "I don't have time to explain things to you."

Ranma closed her eyes as she took a calming breath and fought through the pain. Pulling out the blade she tossed it aside, "Konoka, you might be able to heal him still."

With a nod the slight girl focused her artifact on the injured mage. The cooling energies of Konoka's healing spell filled the air as she worked her magic on the injured Nagi.

"But he's still inside of you," Rakan exclaimed. "Once he takes complete control of you, your injuries will heal completely."

Weakened, but still able to stand Ranma shook her head, "You're wrong. There's a reason why only someone with demonic or celestial blood can truly kill a Peri; they cast a curse as they die, but that curse only affects those without demonic or celestial blood as well as anyone who's already died." Slowly she revealed her wings.

"You're a Nephalim?" Nagi asked, clearly stunned by the revelation. "I thought they all died."

"Long story," Ranma replied.

"So you killed him in your true form to draw him out," Takane surmised.

"You wanted to see if you could save Nagi," Kaede added.

The redhead nodded as she slumped over only to have Takahata suddenly appear and wrap his arm around her supportively. "That's pretty impressive."

Ranma shook her head. "The… the gate…."

"I know where it is," Nagi said, cutting off the injured redhead. "But we'll need a lot of ki to activate it."

"Only a Nephalim can open it," Rakan stated.

Ranma nodded. "Hurry…"

"We should have time," Negi surmised.

Rakan and Nagi shook their heads.

"I…" Konoka started to say only to see the resigned look on the redhead's face. "I can't heal you, can I?"

"Your magic won't react right with his ki," Kotaro explained. "It works for me because I'm a magical creature that also uses ki, but he's a ki user who converts his mana into ki."

Lost in the haze of the poison Ranma fought a losing battle as she tried to pay attention to everything going on around her. Though she couldn't keep up with the conversation she did know that the party was on the move.

Head rolling, Ranma barely noticed that they had left the city. Had she been able to discern where they were she would have realized that they were headed to the ruins of old Ostia and the Nephalim Gateport. As it was she barely managed to keep her eyes open for the short trip.

Finding herself in her mindscape the cursed martial artist felt weighted down.

"It's the poison," Lynx stated. "The greater demons realized that you were draining them so they resorted to lightning and poison. If you weren't so stuck on using ki only you'd probably be a bit better off. But at least each of the clones was able to provide you with additional ki when they dispelled. If not for them you'd probably be dead already."

"Anti-ki poison," Ranma sighed. "I guess that's what I get for over specializing."

The vampire shook his head. "Man, you're slow. We're already here. Goodbye."

"Goodbye," Ranma replied, slowly, painfully forcing her eyes open.

"Ranma," her eternally lost rival muttered as he helped support her.

"Ryoga," the redhead barely got out. "I'm… I'm going… to need help…"

"This one," Nagi said, directing the martial artists to the central pillar.

Placing her hands on the giant Nephalim rune Ranma forced out the remainder of her ki. All around her the stone pillars began to glow with a bright light as the runes inscribed on each began to react.

"The fewer people the better," Nagi stated as he and Rakan moved out of the circle of stones. "It'll be easier if she takes all of you together."

"But…" Negi protested.

"You have to make sure that everyone else gets home safely," Rakan stated. "I'm glad that I met you, and I'm sure that we'll meet again."

"We'll have the gates up and running soon," Princess Theo added.

"We'll be back," Negi promised.

"Everyone's here," Kaede stated.

"We're finally going home," Donette muttered.

* * * * *

Nekane couldn't help but be amazed at how much Negi's girls had done over the past week. Tours of the village, days spent lounging around the pool, meals with the academy students and even hiking in the hills had not slowed the girls down at all. Then again, they were young and energetic.

Breathing a sigh or relief as the Mahora girls headed down to the baths, Nekane hoped to catch her breath. "I'm too old for this," she muttered.

The sudden burning sensation that her pactio card caught her attention. Reinvigorated she pulled it out and rushed to Magus' office.

The old magus and several others were rushing out of his office.

"The gate is reacting to something," one of the assistants explained as Nekane caught up with them.

Through the mists they ran. The feel of powerful and unsettling powers at work caused Nekane's hairs to stand on end. The closer they came to the gateport the stronger the feel of the unusual energy.

"Something's coming through the gate," Magus stated as they neared the stone structure.

Slowly the light brightened. Covering her eyes Nekane shielded herself from the intense light. After a few quick blinks her eyes managed to adjust to the now dimming light.

"Nekane?! Magus?!" a familiar voice called out.

"Negi!"

"We're back!" several girls shouted. Though bruised and battered the Ala Alba plus twelve had managed to return to England. Only Ranma and Ryoga had not completed the journey.

*****

A more subdued group returned to Japan. Despite his reputation Ryoga managed to find himself outside of the Tendo residence. Still bearing the now lifeless form of his rival and friend, Ryoga quickly took his shirt off and draped it over Ranma's bare breasts.

"Ryoga," a startled Akane exclaimed. Back from her morning jog she had not expected to see Ryoga standing before the entrance to her family's house. Noticing his state of undress the normally violent girl blushed. "What are you doing here?"

"I… I promised Ranma I'd bring him back," the bandana wearing boy stated.

"Where…." the question died on her lips as Akane finally noticed the unconscious redhead leaning up against the wall.

"I… I'm sorry," Ryoga said, not sure what else there was to say.

*****

A/N

Sigh….

This was definitely a hard chapter to write.

I've really enjoyed writing this fic, and I'm glad that so many of you enjoyed it as well. Thanks of course to my wonderful betas and to all who have reviewed this fic.

Ranma wants to maintain his disguise because he doesn't want Fate to know. Fate still is unsure about Ranko, but knows enough about Ranma (supposedly) and also thought Ranma was dead.

I will write an epilogue for this in the coming weeks.

Dreamingfox


	32. Chapter 32

Author's Note –

Sigh…. That last chapter was tough to write on so many levels. While I've really enjoyed the writing this fic, there was a point a few months back that I realized I was going to complete the fic. Given the pace that I was writing, I figured that I needed to end it with the current story arc in the manga.

Thanks to my betas, some who have fought tooth and nail to keep this fic going, others to stay truer to the source and current story arc, and others who reminded me that some of my ideas were just too out there. Teturo – you've been a great beta. KitsuneOverlord – thanks for the useful information that you've provided that helped work out some of the ideas borrowed from other manga/Mahwah series. Lance and Kamen Rider Den – O, thanks for your valuable feedback – your perspective as fans of the fic and the source materials helped me balance the pace and tone of this fic.

And of course thanks to all those who have read and reviewed this fic.

*****

There were few times in his life that Ryoga ever actually felt like he didn't want to be where ever he actually was. Honestly, the lost boy wasn't sure that he'd ever gone to a cemetery, much less a funeral. But today was a first.

Standing before Ranma's closed casket with the rest of the Nerima Wrecking Crew (thankfully sans the Kuno family) the bandana wearing boy fought hard to maintain his composure. The formal suit clearly wasn't Ryoga's style, but it was necessary. Though he had spent so much time fighting and seeking to best his rival, it wasn't until recently that he could honestly consider their relationship to be that of friends and comrades rather than rivals forced to work together occasionally.

With a heavy heart he stood beside the Tendo and Saotome families as they mourned the loss of the heir to the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts. The gentle sniffs from the caring and compassionate Kasumi as she was comforted by an unusually stoic and steadfast Dr. Tofu; the heartfelt sobs of Nodoka Saotome as she mourned the son that she never really had the chance to get to know; all of it weighed on Ryoga as he stood alone.

Even Genma Saotome and Soun Tendo had been moved to tears, probably because they had lost any chance of joining the schools more than they were mourning the loss of a son.

Though a long-time friend Ukyo had only recently given up on her romantic pursuit of the pigtailed martial artist, making his sudden passing all the harder for her to endure. For Konatsu it was very difficult, not only did he know the least about Ranma, but the cross-dressing ninja had only recently begun to express his feelings towards the cross-dressing chef. Seeing her so emotional over the death of a man that she had once tried to marry was upsetting on many levels.

Mousse was very much the opposite of Konatsu. With Ranma now firmly out of the picture the nearly-blind hidden weapons expert had an unobstructed path to winning over the woman of his dreams and fantasies.

But Shampoo and Cologne were both furious at the Ranma. Having pinned their hopes on 'convincing' Ranma to return to China with them they both knew that they would lose face once they returned to the Amazon village empty handed. To them Ranma's death was the worst possible thing that could have happened to them.

But it was the way that his crush was handling things that unsettled Ryoga the most. Unable to bare the sight of Akane's cold fury as she stared defiantly at the black and white picture of a smiling and carefree Ranma, the bandana wearing boy tapped the podium, drawing everyone's attention.

"I used to envy Ranma," Ryoga stated. "He had everything that I wanted – he was the best martial artist, the best fighter; that I knew. Ranma was talented and skilled, and he had an uncanny knack for discovering his opponent's weaknesses and using it against them. But he wasn't just a martial artist, he wasn't just my rival – Ranma was my friend. It wasn't until recently that I realized just how much of a friend he really was to me, to all of us. Sure, Akane and Kasumi may have casually said how friendly we were, but I never really thought of him as a friend until recently. I…I can't help but think that I was too pigheaded and stubborn to realize just how good a friend he could have been if I hadn't been such and ass.

"But Ranma was an ass too. He had his flaws, just as we all do. But despite his arrogance and lack of academic accomplishments, he was a true man amongst men. I was honored to know him and I am honored to have been considered his friend."

*****

The humid late summer air made the young mage feel as though he weighed a ton. With a sigh the young teacher rolled over, letting the breeze from the fan caress his sweaty, bare back. Even with all the well laid out plans the summer had not gone as he had expected. Sure, he had gone to England and the Magical World; he had even found his father – but the cost… Kotaro and Yue nearly died, and Ranma…

The buzzing of the alarm clock should have meant something, but what exactly the young mage wasn't sure if he wanted to care. A wave of the arm sent a single arrow of light at the offending clock, smashing it to bits upon impact. Content but not happy, Negi closed his eyes to the light hum of the fan.

Negi wasn't sure how much time had passed since he'd vented on the poor alarm clock. All he knew was that Asuna, Konoka, Setsuna, Chamo, Chachamaru and Eva had entered the room. Not bothering to look up at their faces he simply looked at their feet.

"You're not even trying to get ready, are you?" a clearly irate Asuna shouted. "Didn't we all agree that we'd go together today?"

"Huh?" Negi muttered, not sure why today was so important. "Oh… today's the last day of the summer holidays…"

"We all agreed when we got back that we'd go to see Ranma…." Konoka whispered.

"Ryoga-san said that the funeral was two days ago," the gynoid stated. "Only Akira, Takane, Mana, Haruna, Yue, Nodoka, Kokone, Misora, Mei, and Takahata-sensei made it to the funeral. Shouldn't we at least pay some respects to him?"

"He died because I wasn't strong enough," Negi shouted.

"Yes," Eva replied. "And if I had allowed you all to go there without him would any of you have made it back? Would you feel better if Asuna had died? Or how about Anya? What if more of the girls had died? Would that make you happy?"

Negi tried to roll over only to have Chachamaru pick him up and lift him out of the bed.

"People die everyday," Eva shouted. "You'll lose some battles, and sometimes lose companions. I thought you had realized and accepted that when you chose the path of darkness, but I guess that you chose that path because you were a coward!"

"How dare you!" Negi shouted as he tried to fight out of the gynoid's grip.

"I dare because I know, I've been where you are and I got over it!" the vampire shot back. "Choices were made, lives were lost. How do you think Ryoga felt when he had to bring Ranma's broken corpse back to his family? You've only known Ranma for a few months - Ryoga's known him for years."

Averting his eyes, Negi stared at the floor in shame. Of course he knew that Ryoga had been closer to Ranma, and that the cursed martial artist had a family and friends that would miss him; it just didn't seem to matter until Eva had said it.

"Stay and be the bratty little boy or go and pay your respects like a man; it's up to you," Eva said in disgust. The vampire turned away, unable to look at her apprentice.

Chachamaru gently set Negi down before following her master and partner out. Behind her the other girls slowly filed out after her, leaving only Asuna and Negi.

"He died because we all weren't strong enough," Asuna stated. "But he died saving me. I didn't even get a chance to see him before he died. I didn't even get a chance to go out on a date with him like the other girls did. It wasn't me; it was a fake, an imposter. It was because I wasn't strong enough to avoid being caught that he went out of his way to save me. I was the reason why he was poisoned. He fought his way to me and got injured because of me. He died because of me.

"But he made the choice to be there. He… Ranma could have just let us die, he could have let us go alone, but he didn't," the tearful girl managed to say. "He did the right thing even though it cost him his life. Ranma was a man amongst men. If you can't even go and pay respects to him, what does that make you?"

*****

Despite the humid weather the air in the Headmaster's office was light and crisp (thanks to the powerful air conditioner that cooled the room). Wirily the old mage leaned back in his chair. "So, she knows."

The scruffy blond man seated on the other side of the desk nodded. "Fate undid the memory seal that Nagi had put on her. I'm not sure how much she remembers or knows though," Takahata stated. "With all that's happened…"

"That's understandable," the headmaster replied. "It was a good thing that Eva found such powerful allies for Negi. And with the renewed contact and stabilization of the Magical World, not to mention Nagi's return, things should improve."

The scruffy blond nodded. "True, things are looking good, but…"

"You're concerned with how well the girls and Negi will deal with Ranma's death," the wise old man finished.

Takahata nodded.

"I shall see about having a grief councilor work with them individually, perhaps have them see the school academy's psychiatrist or Minamoto-san," the mage suggested.

The creaking of the door cut off their conversation as the headmaster's busty assistant entered the room.

"We were just talking about you," Takahata grinned.

"There's someone here to see you," the busty Minamoto smiled. "Both of you."

*****

The trip to Nerima had been exhausting for the assembled Mahora girls, Negi, and Kotaro. Few dared to speak as the wounds of their recent loss stung too much for any save Eva and Chachamaru to give voice. Many of the girls simply leaned against their friends and classmates as they sat on the train together. While Ranma had dated several girls, he had clearly had a different relationship and meaning to each of the girls.

It didn't take them long to find Ranma's grave. The fresh flowers and the new black and white picture of a confident and cheerful Ranma (in his male form though he had been cremated as a girl) in his usual Chinese silk shirt and black pants marked his place in the cemetery.

The somber ride back to Mahora was lighter, but still quiet. Finally able to pay their last respects to the pigtailed martial artist, many of the girls were now able to move ahead regardless of the wounds in their heart. For others it would take time before they could move on.

*****

Fingering her newly acquired scar the rogue Shinmeiryuu swordswoman licked her blade clean. Despite all the blood from the now headless bounty hunters that had pursued her there was something unsatisfying about the kill – she hadn't killed her sempai yet.

With her blade now clean of the blood of the worthless fighters the psychotic warrior grinned. "One day Sempai," she promised herself. "One day."

*****

"You're sure about this?" Takahata asked the tall young man before him.

A quiet but confident smile answered the blond teacher's question.

"It'll be difficult for us all," the young man replied. "We must all move on with our lives."

"I know that the girls and Negi haven't come to terms with your death yet. It might help them to know that you're still around in some form," Takahata suggested.

"I know," Ranma replied. "I'm still coming to terms with it too. But I think that it is something they need to do themselves. If I just show up out of nowhere I might do more harm than good."

"In the long term it's for the best," the headmaster agreed. "They're young, but they'll need to learn how to deal with their grief."

The scruffy teacher reluctantly nodded, reaching out he offered his hand to redheaded youth. "I hope that we cross paths again."

"I'm sure we will," the young fighter replied. "But for now I think I need to find out more about… well everything. Things aren't the same as they were before, and I need to center myself before I can help center anyone else. I'm no longer the Ranma that they knew; hell, I don't know me anymore. I think I'll need to spend the next few months trying to rediscover who I am as well as get a better grip on my new abilities and form."

"So you're going back to the Spirit World?" the headmaster asked.

"For now," The slightly glowing fighter nodded. "I'll be back though."

*****

A/N

And so Ranma's White Wings ends. I might follow this up some day, maybe after Negima ends their current story arc. I also want to focus on my other writing for now too.

Thanks to everyone who has taken their time to read and enjoy this fic.

Dreamingfox


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